The Science Behind the Effectiveness of USP Ingredients

You have undoubtedly heard of USP ingredients, but you may not fully understand their role in keeping the manufacture and consumption of foods and equipment safe. USP ingredient supplier Bell Chem has the following information to help you better appreciate the science behind USP ingredients and how they keep facilities and end-users safe. 

USP (United States Pharmacopeia) develops standards for testing and developing products. Their end result is the marketing of products that pose little or no risk for the end users. USP tests include ensuring sterility of products labeled as such, measuring the biological burden of products to verify they fall within a standard range, and maintaining products are free of endotoxins. Together, these tests check the identity, strength, purity, and performance of products while answering the questions of what a product contains, in what amount, how pure the product is, and how it works.

The USP Ingredient Verification Programs for products used for human consumption and medical care are strictly controlled not once, but continually. All portions of the supply chain must meet these guidelines in order for an end product to meet the strict USP standards. Bell Chem’s selection of USP products ensures your supply chain is USP verified and meets or exceeds all standards. Your organization benefits since the products shipped via Bell Chem are consistent, of the highest quality, and certified. 

USP Ingredient Verification for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs)

APIs are the active ingredients - the medicine - given to individuals over-the-counter or prescribed. These medications may be natural or synthetic; their efficacy is based on the correct dosage. 

USP Ingredient Verification for Excipients

On the flip side of APIs are excipients. Most ingredients contained within medications are excipients with the active ingredient requiring a small fraction of a pill or capsule by volume. Bell Chem’s vast quantities of USP excipients include lactose anhydrous, microcrystalline cellulose 101 and 102, and magnesium stearate, to name a few.

USP Ingredient Verification for Dietary Ingredients

How do you verify what is written on a package is what is contained within it? USP verified dietary ingredients ensure the label matches the contents every time. Aspartame, caffeine, folic acid, and sodium chloride are all Bell Chem USP-verified ingredients you will be proud to add to your packaging.

The strict USP guidelines Bell Chem follows ensure our products meet or exceed all cGMP and QCM guidelines annually.  

Examples of USP testing

USP testing includes several variations with the most common - USP 61 and USP 62 - focusing on microbial contaminants of products used in healthcare and the food and drug industries. The microbes are tested on a variety of agar plates to determine growth of the microbe in question. Diluents such as sterile saline and neutralizers such as sodium thiosulfate are active participants in sample preparation. 

With pharmaceuticals, a simple USP sample test removes random capsules from a lot and tests them to verify their contents do not vary widely from one capsule to the next, and that the active ingredients contained within match the amount present on the label. Each capsule is assayed to determine individual weights of each ingredient.

Bell Chem is a USP ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

Understanding the Use of Additives in Meat Production

Throughout history, additives have been used to preserve meat, mostly in the form of salt. Additives may be natural or synthetic, for taste or appearance, direct or indirect additives, and the type of additive necessary depends on the meat. A Central Florida food additive supplier answers your meat production additive questions below.

Increasing your bottom line with additives

As a manufacturer, it is imperative to meet expenses and offer your goods at a price consumers can afford. Additives greatly enhance that ability by extending the shelf life of fresh, easily perishable meat and meat products. Many of these additives are antioxidants, such as BHA, BHT, and tocopherols (vitamin E). These substances deter the rancidity of fats and aid in the maintenance of nutrients. Add citric acid to stimulate the effectiveness of antioxidants while deterring discoloration.

Binding additives

Meat and poultry products may not have the texture or mouthfeel most appealing to consumers and require a binder, such as carrageenin, cellulose, sodium caseinate, starch, or whey protein as a thickener.

Stabilizers

Processed meats, such as sausages and hot dogs, rely on phosphates to perform a bevy of functions. Phosphates increase the capacity for packaged meats to retain water, which gives products a juicier flavor much easier to chew. Heating many products can prove disastrous since these products may lose the tenuous binding between proteins that give meat its structure. Phosphates provide a structure for the proteins to remain linked, and the meats maintain their shape and texture.

Color and flavor enhancers

Lunch meats are greatly improved with sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate, which enhance the flavor consumers anticipate while imbuing a red tint maintained even with the application of heat. Both sodium nitrate and nitrite also deter the growth of Clostridium botulinum bacteria. Used in conjunction with sodium nitrite is sodium ascorbate. Together these 2 additives stimulate the production of nitric oxide myoglobin, a natural chemical that gives meat the red color consumers appreciate. Another color fixative is sodium erythorbate, used most frequently in cured meats.

Another well-appreciated flavor enhancer is monosodium glutamate, often added to meats to enhance the flavor of umami.

Emulsifiers 

Meat spreads require emulsifiers to create consistent results with every application. Lecithin, soy proteins, monoglycerides and diglycerides are called upon to fulfill this purpose.

Humectants

Dried meats must maintain their level of moisture to remain microbe free. As a humectant, glycerine is ideal at pulling moisture from the foods to which it is added.

pH adjusters

Other additives that deter yeast and bacterial growth use pH as their defense. Included in this category are acetic acid, benzoic acid, sodium benzoate, sorbic acid, and potassium sorbate.

Direct vs indirect additives

Surprisingly, the Food and Drug Administration has a separate category for additives not specifically added to foods. For instance, if packaging contains chemicals, these are considered indirect food additives and meet the same stringent requirements as direct additives. 

Bell Chem is a food additive supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including additives for meat products. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

Potassium Sorbate: Effective Food Preservation for Dairy and Beyond

As an acid, potassium sorbate has the ability to drop the pH of products, thereby creating an environment unacceptable to many microorganisms. Therefore, this additive is considered a great preservative since microorganism growth leads to discoloration, a change in color or texture, or staleness. Food additive supplier Bell Chem wishes to share information on not only how effective potassium sorbate is in the dairy industry, but how it can enhance your manufacturing as well. 

Artisanal and craft beverages

The trend toward simpler ingredients has led to a reliance on potassium sorbate as a preservative and a stabilizer. Once fermentation has occurred, potassium sorbate is added to deter yeast or mold growth. Its most notable application is in sweet wines since their increased sugar content is a food source for microorganisms. 

These features give other beverage manufacturers the same benefits: potassium sorbate in juices and sugary beverages deter microorganism growth, even without the added step of fermentation.

Baked goods

Mold is inevitable on baked goods, which generally have short shelf lives. Adding potassium sorbate extends that shelf life, most notably on filled pastries, muffins, and other baked goods with a high moisture content.

Dairy products

Starches and sugars are not the only food stocks enjoyed by microorganisms. They also thrive on fats and proteins. The high fat and protein content of milk, cheese, yogurt, and other dairy products give microorganisms a phenomenal environment to thrive. Fortunately potassium sorbate quells their rapid growth while maintaining the same flavor profile.

Other food additive uses

As noted previously, potassium sorbate’s low pH deters microorganism growth, which leads to its use in an array of sauces, condiments, processed meats, and other processed foods. Available in both a powdered and granular form, you are sure to find the perfect fit for your industry.

Bell Chem is a food additive supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including potassium sorbate. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

Understanding the Benefits of Tru-Flo® Food Grade Salt

Salt is ubiquitous on almost every kitchen table. It is also used to de-ice roads, remove impurities in manufacturing, and to create soap. Tru-Flo® food grade salt can be used in these industries, but because it is over 99% pure sodium chloride (NaCl) and only contains trace amounts of insoluble materials, it is best suited for culinary uses. Food ingredient supplier Bell Chem stocks Tru-Flo Evaporated Food Grade Salt for all your dietary needs. 

Food flavoring

Flavoring and salt walk hand in hand. Tru-Flo salt has the unique capability of enhancing the other flavors of food, which is why many baked goods add salt as an ingredient to bring out the sweet flavors of sugar, chocolate, or other confections. Tru-Flo salt on its own is likewise a flavoring; we relate salt to almost every processed food, even those only minimally processed. 

Why do we eat more salt than is necessary? The human body craves salt to maintain homeostasis in the tissues and bloodstream. When this careful balance is upset, our brains deliver a signal that we must eat something salty and we reach for chips, condiments, or a jar of pickles.

Food preservation

Food preservation often calls for large amounts of salt (20% by weight) to cure meats or other foods. Tru-Flo salt draws out water from foods in a process known as osmosis, creating an inhospitable environment since the majority of organisms rely on water – which has been driven out – and cannot thrive in the now highly salted environment. Dried meats can be preserved without the use of refrigeration or canning.

The advantages of Tru-Flo salt

Tru-Flo salts have been naturally harvested from the sea, in natural brine, or in salt deposits on land. Once selected, these salts are manufactured until they are highly purified. You know your products will contain the highest grade sodium chloride possible with Tru-Flo salts. 

Tru-Flo salts are also graded by granule size, ensuring the salt you purchase will dissolve at the same rapid rate producing a clear, briny solution. As a dry ingredient, Tru-Flo salt flows smoothly without clumping. Tru-Flo salts meet or exceed the expectations of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Food Chemical Codex (FCC). 

Bell Chem is a food ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including Tru-Flo Food Grade Salt. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message. 

Implementing a Successful Cleaning Program in a Food Manufacturing Plant

Working around food products means your environment needs to be more than clean; it needs to be sanitized and free of major pathogens. To understand how to implement a cleaning program that’s safe for your employees as well as your customers, industrial chemical supplier Bell Chem has compiled the following information.

Understanding Cleaning and Sanitation

When a workspace is clean, that usually conjures a shiny countertop free of debris. Clean does not necessarily mean sanitized, though. Sanitization requires another type of chemical that removes a majority of viruses, bacteria, and spores. Disinfectants are the hard hitters, killing 99.9% of all pathogens on a surface. For foods, it is important to deploy the correct chemical for your work area. 

Bell Chem meets or exceeds all Food and Drug Administration standards for storing and shipping chemicals, which means their purity can be carried over and safely utilized in your facility, meeting the FDA standards required for your organization. 

Steps for Sanitizing and Disinfecting

For sanitizing and disinfecting, most government agencies recognize 5 main classes of chemicals: hypochlorites, peroxyacetic acid, quaternary ammonium compounds, chlorine dioxide, and iodophors. Using these chemicals requires a background of how to apply the chemicals and in what order. 

1. Rinse surfaces: Using warm—not hot—water, thoroughly remove all large particles. Adding a cleaner before this step is not recommended since you are only cleaning debris. Remove the debris first before moving to the second step. 

2. Apply a cleaner: A detergent such as a quaternary ammonium compound is ideal for this step, and elbow grease is highly encouraged. Fat and proteins are the main components to be stripped away at this stage. Pay attention to the water you are using since a high or low pH of your facility’s water supply may change the performance of your cleaner.

3. Rinse all surfaces: Detergents may leave a residue, which may be detrimental to the foods you process. Also, because the majority of detergents are alkaline and sanitizers are acidic, it could negate the sanitization phase of your cleaning routine.

4. Inspect: If you notice an area that needs to be re-cleaned, take the opportunity to spot clean, especially if you note signs of residue from the cleaners.

5. Sanitize/Disinfect: Once all debris is cleared and the area has been thoroughly cleaned, sanitize with peroxyacetic acid or a similar sanitizer/disinfectant, and hypochlorites, iodophors, or chlorine dioxide as a disinfectant. Keep in mind that sanitizers work quickly, but kill fewer families of microbes while disinfectants take longer, but kill a higher amount of microorganisms.

6. Rinse or dry: Before the surface comes into contact with food again, note whether the product should be rinsed or allowed to air dry. Drying times are listed on the chemical label.

Bell Chem is an industrial chemical supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including CSANTM sanitation products. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

How Food Suppliers Can Support Gut Health Trends

Tune in to any health program and you encounter the catchphrase “gut microbiome.” Is this a fad, or is it a legitimate health concern? Food additive supplier Bell Chem is here to help you unravel whether your gut microbiome essentially controls your overall health or whether it is simply another method of selling products.

What is a healthy gut microbiome?

While every individual differs in their body’s definition of a healthy gut biome, that definition changes with every meal. In other words, not only is every individual’s needs different, but those needs change hourly depending on what is being ingested and broken down. 

However, research has proven that when the human body generates specific metabolic byproducts (ketones from the breakdown of fats, urea from the breakdown of proteins, for instance), and the presence of healthy bacteria in the gut is normal, the microbiome of the gut is healthy. 

The difference between prebiotics and probiotics

While these words are off by only one letter, their function is vastly different. A prebiotic feeds the flora in your digestive tract while a probiotic is essentially an additional beneficial bacteria added to your gut. Prebiotics include starches, inulin, or chicory root fiber and act as a food source for the existing bacteria in your gut. Probiotics include fermented foods and yogurt, foods high in beneficial bacteria. While these important supplements may be sold separately, you can often find capsules or powders containing both prebiotics and probiotics, known as synbiotics. 

Fiber-rich diets

As discussed, prebiotics include fiber, which bacteria rely on to grow and divide. Fibers are readily available in plants, which leads many consumers to eat more leafy greens and fruits to enhance a healthy gut biome. However, a vast majority of Americans may not have these products readily available, so supplementing their diet with additives containing fibrous products will aid in digestion and overall gut health.

Functional foods

Once upon a time, all foods were functional because all foods were fresh. Take a look at the average grocery store shelf nowadays and you will notice pre-packaged foods that rely on taste and texture to sell their products. Health benefits have fallen to the wayside; sugary cereals and snacks have replaced fresh meat and vegetables as the staples of the American diet. Functional foods are curbing that trend by realizing consumers are not going to readily give up their snacks. Rather than replacing these snacks, the snacks are gaining vitamins, zinc, calcium, magnesium, and other minerals. Caffeine is another functional additive to bolster energy and brain power you can find in hundreds of products. 

A 2023 paper written by Ruo-Gu Xiong, et al, emphasizes the role of the microbiota-gut-brain axis and how ingesting capsaicin, medicinal herbs (lavender and lemon balm, for instance), synbiotics, and whole foods can positively affect mood, as well as bodily functions. 

Bell Chem is a food additive supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including additives that support a healthy gut biome. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

Common Excipients Used in Pharmaceutical Formulations

The pharmaceutical industry is built on its beneficial products, but without the invisible power of excipients, these life-saving and life-changing medications would prove not nearly as effective. Pharmaceutical ingredient supplier Bell Chem wishes to highlight several functions of excipients that your industry might find even more beneficial than active ingredients.

What are Excipients?

Excipients are described as anything other than the active pharmaceutical ingredient. These products have a range of properties and functions, allowing medicines to act and react properly.

Binders

Without a binder, a tablet or capsule would crumble upon impact with another capsule. Keeping the integrity of medications intact is the duty of binders such as microcrystalline cellulose. 

Disintegrants

On the opposite side of the binders are the disintegrants. These ingredients, such as sodium starch glycolate and croscarmellose sodium, react with the normal chemical processes of the human body and cause the capsule or tablet to break apart when digested. 

Colorants 

Colorants, such as titanium dioxide, have two roles: they appeal to consumers as they ensure the medication is either the correct dose or even the correct medication. 

Dilutents

When the active ingredient of a medication is to be administered sparingly, a diluent such as lactose increases the volume of the capsule.

Lubricants

Lubricants are utilized during the manufacturing process to prevent capsules or tablets, or even individual ingredients, from adhering to the industrial equipment. A fine example of a lubricant is magnesium stearate. 

Preservatives

In liquid medications, excipients such as carrageenan, guar gum, and xanthan gum ensure the active ingredient remains unchanged from one dosage to the next. 

The manufacture of medication is not inexpensive, and preservatives assure their shelf life is extended to at least the useful life of the medication’s active ingredients. Preservatives such as sodium benzoate and sorbic acid prevent the growth of microbes, which can alter the delivery of the active ingredient. 

Sweeteners

Not all patients are adults, and sweeteners are welcome additions to children’s medications. Natural sweeteners such as sorbitol and artificial sweeteners such as aspartame are regularly added to medications to ensure patients enjoy their medications enough to take them on schedule.

“Time-release” Excipients

Hydroxypropyl cellulose is an excipient regularly used to control the release of the active ingredient. Medications touted as “time release” or “12-hour release” contain these important excipients. 

Humectants

Topical applications include glycerine and sorbitol as humectants to increase absorption into the epidermis.

Bell Chem is your pharmaceutical ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including a wide variety of excipients. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

How to Stay Compliant with Government Chemical Safety Standards

Chemical compliance is a tremendously necessary burden for most industries. The breadth of compliance stretches beyond just the handling of chemicals, though. Industrial chemical supplier Bell Chem is here to lead you through many of the safety standards to ensure your company recognizes how to keep your employees safe.

The effects of chemicals

Learning how chemicals react in different situations, such as being in the presence of other chemicals, in water, to light, et cetera, is imperative in handling those chemicals. Another factor to consider is the type of reaction: will the chemical explode pyrotechnically or simply overflow the beaker if handled incorrectly? Will it cause a severe burn or a shock? The handling of chemicals is extremely important for each of your employees to understand. 

Every chemical has its own guidelines; if your industry focuses on specific chemicals, know those guidelines thoroughly. All guidelines are sent with every chemical and are kept on site in the lab or facility where the chemicals are stored and used. Guidelines are also explained online by looking up the Material Safety Data Sheet for each chemical. 

Government safety standards

The Office of Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) focuses on safety and healthful working conditions for all workers. OSHA offers worker education, training, hazardous chemical standards, and more. The Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) creates and publishes guidelines for those who manufacture, produce, import, export, and handle chemicals. 

Training is an essential key for this process at every stage of a chemical’s journey. Bell Chem’s employees and its warehouses meet or exceed all OSHA and other stringent government standards, ensuring the chemical you receive is specifically what you requested and is sent in the safest manner possible. 

Occupational exposure

Some chemicals must be handled with personal protective wear, which varies from one chemical to the next. While gloves may be the only PPE for one chemical, another may require a respirator and a vent hood. Even with these precautions, the amount of time spent in the presence of a chemical may affect workers. Ensure your workforce meets all occupational exposure guidelines to keep your employees healthy. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) lists Recommended Exposure Limits (RELs) to aid in determining the ultimate amount of time your workers can be safely exposed to chemicals.

OSHA believes engineering and work practice controls are the primary factors in reducing toxic chemical exposure. Knowing your chemicals are safe when they enter your facility is the foundation for the remainder of your safety criteria. Rest assured, industrial chemical supplier Bell Chem will only send chemicals that meet or exceed all government regulations. 

Bell Chem is your industrial chemical supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

How Food Additives Can Help You Keep Up with Plant-Based Trends

With an estimated 9 billion humans worldwide by 2050, the necessity for plant-based foods to feed the masses is becoming more than a good idea; it is becoming a crisis. Manufacturers are responding with food additives to ensure their products are as healthy or healthier than the proteins in standard animal-based diets. Food additive supplier Bell Chem’s vast array of food additives will help ensure plant-based trends become a way of life for consumers.

Adding plant-based proteins

Plant-based additives are generally used to entice consumers to transition from their meat-based diets. This leads to additives that change the texture, flavor, and juiciness of ingredients. The key protein for plants is soy, which packs more protein than any other plant. Soy is also a complete protein, meaning it contains all 9 essential amino acids necessary for cellular growth and repair. 

Soy is not the only complete plant-based protein; many grains currently marketed as “ancient grains” are also included. Among these are quinoa, amaranth, hemp seeds, and chia seeds. The old standby of a bowl of rice and beans contains all 9 amino acids, as well.

Plant-based additive functions

• Color: To make your products pop, add beta carotene for an orange color, turmeric for yellow, chlorophyll for green, cinnamon for brown, or activated charcoal for black. 

• Emulsification: The phospholipid lecithin is a natural derivative of flaxseed, soybeans, and sunflower nuts. As emulsifiers, these plant-based ingredients easily blend oil-based products with water, such as what occurs in peanut butter and salad dressing. Carrageenan is another great natural emulsifier and thickener, high on the list of food additives. 

• Flavor: from sour to sweet, flavorings run the gamut in creating the “correct” flavor in a food. Phenolic acids are responsible for sour and/or bitter flavor; flavonoids can create a spectrum of flavors - hence the name - from sweet to astringent. These magical antioxidants also reduce inflammation.

• Preservation: Essential oils, such as orange or clove, deter fruit browning; tea tree, aloe vera, and citrus oils inhibit the breakdown of fruits and vegetables, keeping them fresher longer. Green tea extracts act as antioxidants as well, extending the shelf life of many products.

Bell Chem is a food additive supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including plant-based food additives. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

Sorbitol: A Sugar Substitute and Its Benefits

With so many Americans focused on their health and eating more functional ingredients, it seems likely a sugar substitute would make a tremendous splash, and food ingredient supplier Bell Chem’s sorbitol might just be the punch you want for your newest products. 

What is Sorbitol?

To define sorbitol, picture a sugar alcohol - a polyol, to be precise - originally found in fruits such as apricots and berries that enhances foods with a sweet flavor as it maintains a more robust moisture level in those products. You may also recognize sorbitol by another name, glucitol, or by its chemical formula, C6H14O6.

Sorbitol Versus Sugar

Unlike table sugar, sorbitol maintains approximately 60% of the sweetness level at a slightly greater amount (66%) of the caloric content. While this may seem negligible, consider how the body absorbs sorbitol: in the small intestine, sorbitol proves not nearly as digestible as sugar. In other words, with approximately the same taste as sugar, more of it is flushed through the small intestine. Once in the large intestine, the “good bacteria” of your colon ferment sorbitol. 

Diabetic Freedom

Digestive changes are not the only health benefit of manufacturing foods and beverages with sorbitol, though. Giving those with diabetes the freedom to enjoy sweet foods is a challenge. Adding sorbitol has such a small effect on blood sugar levels, most diabetic patients can enjoy it. 

Unlike the bacteria in the large intestine, the bacteria in the mouth do not treat sorbitol as a food source as readily. This gives many manufacturers good reason to add sorbitol rather than table sugar in gums, lozenges, and mints. The moisture retention property of sorbitol causes these products to work more effectively, especially chewing gum, which maintains its pliability level longer than if table sugar were added. Many consumers also note a cooling sensation when eating items containing sorbitol, which gives it a role in toothpaste and other mint-flavored applications.

Great news for manufacturers using sorbitol

The humectant ability of sorbitol—pulling in moisture—is extremely advantageous as an addition to baked goods. These products remain fresher longer without drying out and tasting stale. Cooking with sorbitol has another secret benefit: if a syrup is created with water, sorbitol will not caramelize, and the glaze will remain clear rather than brown. Goods subjected to heating will find sorbitol an amazing sugar substitute since it is heat-stable, meaning it does not readily decompose when heated.

In frozen goods, sorbitol lowers the freezing point of water. This makes ice cream creamier and deters the formation of ice crystals, which dominate when products are frequently frozen and thawed.

Bell Chem is a food ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including sorbitol. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.