Brief Introduction
Calcium Propionate
Production process
Safety
Application
Anti corrosion principle
Application of calcium propionate in feed
Is calcium propionate vegetarian
Calcium Propionate / What is Calcium Propionate
Calcium propionate, the calcium salt of propionic acid, with the molecular formula 2(C3H6O2)CA, is a white crystalline fine powder or particles, odourless or with a slight odour of propionic acid, easily deliquescent in humid air. It is readily soluble in water and slightly soluble in ethanol. Calcium propionate is effective against mould, aerobic bacterium, gram-negative bacteria and aflatoxin in starch, protein-containing and greasy substances, and has unique anti-mould and antiseptic properties. In addition, as a feed additive, it can effectively inhibit mould and prolong the shelf life of feeds, and if combined with other inorganic salts, it can improve the appetite of livestock and milk production of cows.
The activity of calcium propionate to mold is higher than that of sodium benzoate, but it has no activity to yeast, so it is an ideal choice for baking products using yeast as ingredient.
We can also find natural calcium propionate in cheeses.
Production Process
Propionic acid reacts with calcium hydroxide to produce calcium propionate. Calcium propionate decomposes into propionic acid under acidic conditions. It has specific effect on enzyme bacteria, but has limited effect on bacteria, and no effect on yeast. The minimum inhibitory concentration was 0.01% at pH 5.0, 0.188% at pH 5.8, and the optimum pH value was lower than 5.5.
Calcium Propionate Product Data
Packing: 25kg net paper bag or 1mt big bag with PE liner.
| Name of index | FCC-V | E282 |
| Description | White crystalline powder | |
| Content | 98.0-100.5%(anhydrous basis) | ≥99%, (105°C,2h) |
| pH of a 10 % aqueous solution | — | 6.0—9.0 |
| Loss on drying ≤% | 5.0 | 4.0(105°C,2h) |
| Heavy metals (as Pb)≤% | — | 0.001 |
| Fluorides ≤% | 0.003 | 0.001 |
| Magnesium(as MgO) ≤% | Passes test (about 0.4%) | — |
| Insoluble substances ≤% | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| 0.0002 | 0.0005 | |
| Iron ≤% | — | 0.005 |
| Arsenic ≤% | — | 0.0003 |
| Mercury ≤% | — | 0.0001 |
Calcium propionate is used in bakery products as a mold inhibitor, typically at 0.1-0.4% (though animal feed may contain up to 1%).
Safety
Compared with propionic acid, such as sodium propionate, potassium propionate, zinc propionate,ammonium propionate,which is corrosive and irritant, calcium propionate, as propionic acid salts, can avoid harm to processing equipment and operators.
Propionic acid is easily absorbed by human body and participates in the normal metabolism of human body, and it is harmless to human body. Calcium in calcium propionate can also be absorbed by human body, so it can be added to bread and other foods to supplement calcium for human body.
Application of calcium propionate in food
Application of Calcium Propionate in bread
Propionic acid has a very good anti mildew effect, less inhibitory effect on bacteria, no inhibitory effect on yeast, so it is suitable for cakes, bread and cheese. It should be noted that calcium salts cannot be used with sodium bicarbonate. Otherwise, insoluble salts will be formed to reduce the production of CO2. The alkalinity of sodium salt will delay the fermentation time of dough, so sodium propionate is often used in Western dim sum, while calcium propionate is often used in bread.
For bread, calcium propionate has no nutritional value, it can not make bread never moldy. Calcium propionate can only inhibit the production of mold in bread and delay the time of mold in bread. Therefore, it solves the problem of rapid mildew in hot summer and rainy season, reduces the loss and protects people’s health. However, there are many reasons for bread mildew, and there are also a lot of molds in the air. Therefore, in addition to adding calcium propionate in bread, it is necessary to maintain the hygiene of production equipment, production environment and operators, so as to make the storage time of bread longer.
Anti Corrosion Principle
Propionic acid and its calcium salt are acid preservatives, mainly propionic acid has anti-corrosion effect. Propionic acid is a kind of organic acid, which can inhibit the synthesis of β – alanine by microorganisms, so it has antibacterial effect.
Limit of use
In bread and pastry products, according to the content of propionic acid, no more than 2.5g/kg.
1. The application in fermented food
Calcium propionate has a good inhibitory effect on starch, mold, aerobic bacillus, Gram-negative bacteria and aflatoxin in protein and oil substances, and has unique anti mold and anti-corrosion properties. Therefore, calcium propionate is widely used in fermented and baked food.
Usage limit: the maximum usage is 2.5g/kg.
Application of Calcium Propionate In Feed
As a feed additive, calcium propionate can inhibit feed mildew, mold, aerobic bud producing bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, inhibit the growth of aflatoxin, prolong the fresh-keeping period of feed. It combined with other inorganic salts can also improve the appetite of livestock and milk yield of dairy cows. In addition, calcium propionate has low volatility, high temperature resistance and good animal adaptability, which is suitable for a variety of feeds. As an antifungal agent of feed, it is mostly used in protein feed, bait feed, full price feed and other aquatic animal feeds. It is an ideal preservative for feed processing enterprises, scientific research and other animal feeds.
Is calcium propionate vegetarian
Calcium propionate is synthetic, and the production equipment, production technology and packaging equipment are not in contact with animals and their products, so it is certainly in line with vegetarianism.
