News

ontarget 12/16/13 ontarget 12/16/13

Whey, Grade A

As a child, you may have recited the Little Miss Muffet nursery rhyme about the young girl who ate her “curds and whey.” You may have wondered, “what is whey?” When milk is manually separated in the process of making cheese and cottage cheese, a plasma-like solid is produced as well as a watery, yellow serum that rises to the top of the container. This watery substance is whey, while the other portion, with manipulation and heat, eventually becomes cheese.

Until recently, whey was merely a by-product of the cheesemaking process and was traditionally tossed away as refuse. However, later chemical examination proved the usefulness of whey; it is currently used in several industries for a variety of purposes and can be found at an Orlando chemical supply company as well as in grocery and nutrition stores. Whey is distinguished by grades, in that “Grade A” whey is produced with Grade A milk in a Grade A facility.

What was in the chemical composition of whey that caused such a stir in industries? How did whey become such a powerhouse in health and bodybuilding? Along with lactose – milk sugar – and vitamins and minerals, whey contains proteins. In fact, whey contains a significant amount of perfect proteins since it encompasses all the essential amino acids in perfect proportions. Because the demands of weightlifting and an active lifestyle tax the body’s muscles, protein is necessary to maintain and supply proper growth. Many health conscious individuals supplement their diet with whey in the form of a white or cream-colored powder, which is created after the watery portion is removed via precipitation, filtration, or other means. Because it is either tasteless or bland in flavor, whey is easily added to liquids for a healthy, nutritious snack. However, bodybuilders are not the only individuals who benefit from whey. Recent research proves whey may assist in memory retention, reduce cancer rates, improve immunity, and protect the body from dangerous diseases.

Whey has other uses as well. Product developers apply this useful ingredient in baked goods and confections, beverages, dairy and meat products, soups and sauces, salad dressings, etc. Since its humble beginnings as a by-product, researchers are finding new, healthy uses for whey every day.

As a leading Orlando chemical supply company, Bell Chem offers fast delivery of hundreds of chemical products including EDTA. With several seaports located within a few short hours, our Orlando chemical supply company is positioned as the “go to” supplier on a national and international level. To learn more about our products, including Grade A whey, call Bell Chem today at 407-339-2355.

ontarget 10/10/13 ontarget 10/10/13

Potassium Sorbate

Potassium sorbate occurs naturally in a handful of a few varieties of berries, but is more widely recognized in a synthetic form. It is highly soluble in water, at which time its white crystalline powder structure degenerates to sorbic acid and potassium. Potassium sorbate is odorless and tasteless; combined with its high solubility and availability in a wide pH range it is ideal for food and beverage usage. Potassium sorbate inhibits yeast and mold growth, which leads to its widespread use in wineries and food preservative industries, including its addition in cheese and yogurt, dried and processed fruits and meats, and ciders. As you may have noted, many of the products listed in the last sentence have the ability to be stored at room temperature while still maintaining its ability to prevent microbe and mold development; that is indeed one of the strengths of potassium sorbate. This factor gives potassium sorbate ready availability to be added to many personal care products, such as shampoos and lotions, and herbal dietary supplements to extend shelf life by preventing microbial growth, in which case it may be listed as E202.

However, many manufacturers instead choose to coat food exteriors or wax wrappers with potassium sorbate, which will not alter the contents of the food while still offering potassium sorbate’s positive advantages. In wine and other substances, potassium sorbate breaks down into sorbic acid, which deters yeast from proliferating, thereby discouraging additional fermentation.

The next time you drink a glass of wine or eat a fruit-filled yogurt cup, thank potassium sorbate for making your snack enjoyable.

As a leading chemical supply company in Orlando, Bell Chem offers fast delivery of hundreds of chemical products including Potassium sorbate. With several seaports located within a few short hours, our Florida chemical supply company is positioned as the “go to” supplier on a national and international level. To learn more about our products, call Bell Chem today at 407-339-2355.

ontarget 9/24/13 ontarget 9/24/13

Jeffcool P200 (Propylene Glycol, Inhibited)

Propylene glycol, commonly used as a heat transfer fluid in heating, vacuum, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, is often marketed as inhibited, which simply means a corrosion inhibitor has been added to protect many of the metals used in HVAC systems. Jeffcool P200 is the trade name for propylene glycol, inhibited. Inhibited propylene glycol is noncorrosive and safe to use around foods and beverages. Propylene glycol has the chemical formula C3H8O2 and is a viscous liquid with slight opacity and no discernible color, a faintly sweet taste, and a slight odor. The inhibited form of propylene glycol has been found to be a better choice as a coolant for heat transfer systems than brine solutions (a mixture of salt and fresh water), ammonia or water; it improves the capacity to transfer heat while lowering costs to maintain the units. Along with HVAC systems, Jeffcool P200 is also used extensively in the fields of

Beer brewing to cool fermentation tanks, and yeast and beer storage tanks
Winemaking as the cooling medium
Packaged foods in immersion freezing
Frozen foods to defrost cooling coils in freezing tunnels
Snow melting as a heat transfer fluid
Ice rinks as a coolant
Dairy and food industries as a cooling agent
Chemical industry to produce polyurethanes
Food and tobacco industries as a preservative
Pharmaceutical industry as a solvent in oral, topical, and injectable medicines
Aircraft industry as a de-icing fluid
Dog food manufacturing as an additive, and
Carbonated beverage packaging.

Propylene glycol has been used industrially for over fifty years with outstanding results. With its myriad of functions, manufacturers are certain to continue utilizing it for decades to come.

Bell Chem, a checmical supplier in Orlando, offers a wide variety of chemicals for your industry needs. Contact a specialist today to learn more about propylene glycol today.

ontarget 8/8/13 ontarget 8/8/13

Sodium Citrate Dihydrate

Sodium citrate dihydrate (C6H5O7Na3 . 2H2O) is a colorless, odorless granular or powdery buffering agent derived from citric acid. The buffering properties of sodium citrate dihydrate enable its use in the food industry, medical industry, and cleaning industry, among others. In the food industry, sodium citrate dihydrate is utilized as a preservative with a sour taste comparable to citric acid, as well as a salty taste due to the sodium in its chemical makeup. Other applications in the food industry include

pH control – in combination with citric acid – of many foods and beverages due to its buffering properties
flavoring
emulsifying salt used primarily in processed cheese products
anticoagulant of fresh livestock blood in meat products
curing accelerator and, as mentioned previously,
preservative.

The medical industry uses sodium citrate dihydrate as a buffer to control pH in much the same manner it interacts with foods. It is also utilized as an alkalizing agent, an emulsifier, a plugging agent, and a sequestering agent. The buffering properties of sodium citrate dihydrate are used in the treatment of cystitis as well as rapid loss of fluids in the body due to heavy perspiration or intestinal disruptions.

Another common use for sodium citrate dihydrate is in household cleaning products. Its ability to build detergents and its expedient biodegrading ability make sodium citrate dihydrate environmentally advantageous.

As a leading chemical supply company in Orlando, Bell Chem offers fast delivery of hundreds of chemical products including sodium glucoheptonate. With several seaports located within a few short hours, our Florida chemical supply company is positioned as the “go to” supplier on a national and international level. To learn more about our products, call Bell Chem today at 407-339-2355.

ontarget 7/31/13 ontarget 7/31/13

Sodium Glucoheptonate

Sodium glucoheptonate (C7H13NaO8) is an industrial dream cleaner. This light tan, crystalline powder is regularly used to clean industrial tubs at food processing plants as well as dairies and breweries. It is also utilized for paint stripping as a degreaser, for glass cleaning, and aluminum etching. Its ability to chelate metals – reducing adverse effects metals have on systems – and to sequester calcium to keep it from clumping elevate sodium glucoheptonate to a class all its own. Yet there is another side of sodium glucoheptonate. It is also used to mercerize cotton, linen, hemp, and other plant-based fibers to increase strength and add luster to their overall appearance of threads and fabrics. The paper industry prevents iron staining by taking advantage of the chelating effects of sodium glucoheptonate. Leather tanning also relies on sodium glucoheptonate as part of its masking process to inhibit excess precipitation during the chemical processing of the product.

The benefits of sodium glucoheptonate include, but are not limited to

sequestration and/or chelation (“chelation” is derived from the Greek word chele or “crab’s claw” – quite appropriate for a chemical that “grabs” ions!)
stability over a wide pH range
biodegradability, and its
non-hazardous nature

ontarget 7/25/13 ontarget 7/25/13

Phosphoric acid 85%

Phosphoric acid (H3PO4) naturally occurs as a white solid or a colorless, viscous (thick) liquid and is derived from phosphate rock. The percentage – in this case, 85% - is determined by how much of this thick liquid or solid is added to one liter of water; hence “phosphoric acid 85%” signifies a mixture of 15% water and 85% phosphoric acid. Phosphoric acid 85% has a wide range of uses for the chemical industry, including

food additives

phosphoric acid is the only acid used in colas since its “bite” is complementary to the cola flavor
phosphoric acid is added to jams and jellies to enhance preservative properties and jelly clarity
the weakly acidic salt of phosphoric acid (NaH2PO) is combined with sodium bicarbonate to create baking soda

metal cleaning and rust removal

chemical industries

catalyzes the “setting” of resins

dental practice

removes plaque, and

orthodontic applications

cleans teeth and abrades tooth surfaces before dental appliances are inserted.

Because phosphoric acid 85% has a pH below 7, it carries acidic characteristics, such as corrosive behaviors and/or bitter taste. Examples of the corrosive behaviors include metal and dental cleaning, while the bitter taste is most obviously noted in cola beverages. Knowing these properties, how is phosphoric acid able to pull off the added responsibility of improving the shelf life of jelly? Along with its catalytic properties, which would cause corrosion or cleansing properties, phosphoric acid is also dehydrating – it causes water to leave a system. Since water contributes to shortened shelf life when it lurks within a product, adding phosphoric acid elongates the storage time of many foods. Realizing this property, along with the fact that phosphoric acid 85% is a stable chemical that does not react violently; it is obvious why phosphoric acid is widely utilized in such a vast array of applications.

ontarget 6/28/13 ontarget 6/28/13

What You Didn’t Know About Guar Gum

Guar gum, an off-white powder also known as guaran, is made from ground guar beans, which are de-husked, milled and screened. Guar beans are grown throughout India and Australia, as well as the United States, Pakistan, China and Africa. However, India is the main producer of guar beans, producing over a million tonnes each year and accounting for over 3/4 of the production worldwide. Guar gum has many industrial and food applications, as the largest market for this chemical product is the food industry. Some of the most popular food applications include:

In canned soup, guar gum is used as a thickener/stabilizer.
In sauces, salad dressings, ketchups, relishes and other condiments, guar gum enhances the appearance and stability.
For dairy products like milk, liquid cheese and yogurt, guar gum acts as a food thickener. For food products such as ice creams and sherbets, guar gum helps maintain a uniform texture throughout by preventing ice crystals from forming.
In baked goods, guar gum improves texture, as well as shelf life. It also increases dough yield.

Some of the most popular industrial applications include:

In the textile industry, guar gum is used for sizing, finishing and printing.
In the explosives industry, guar gum is used as a waterproofing agent.
In the pharmaceutical industry, guar gum is used as a binder and disintegrator in tablets.
In medical institutions, guar gum is used to thicken liquids and foods for patients with dysphagia. It is also known to treat diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, obesity, and diabetes, as well as reduce cholesterol.

At our Orlando chemical supply company, guar gum is just one of the many nutritional chemical products we offer. We also stock many hard to find tech-grade chemicals, USP ingredients and custom compounds. Call us at 407-339-BELL (2355) for a full list of our chemical products.

ontarget 6/20/13 ontarget 6/20/13

Malic Acid and Its Many Uses

Malic acid, an organic compound made by all living organisms as part of the citric acid cycle, is crystalline in structure, water soluble, and colorless. Malic acid was first isolated from apple juice in 1785 by Carl Wilhelm Scheele, a Swedish chemist. This chemical gets its name from this event, as the Latin word for apple is malum. Malic acid plays an important role in giving foods, specifically fruits, their pleasant sour taste. Malic acid is commonly used as a food additive in foods like potato chips and candy. Instead of using citric acid to create the sour taste, candies that require a more intense sour flavor use malic acid. Salt and vinegar flavored chips use malic acid to produce that appealing tart taste.

One of the major health benefits that malic acid offers the human body is that it boosts your metabolism and the ability for your body to produce energy. Without sufficient levels of malic acid in your body, you would age quicker because your body loses its ability to produce energy efficiently. This chemical also helps muscle soreness and prevents muscle fatigue. For this reason, malic acid is used to treat the intense muscle pain caused by fibromyalgia.

In addition, malic acid is found in many hygiene and skin care products. In mouthwash, this chemical aids in dental hygiene by acting as an oral antiseptic and encouraging saliva production. When applied to skin, malic acid tightens pores, reduces wrinkles, and evens tone.

As a leading chemical supply company in Orlando, Bell Chem offers fast delivery of hundreds of chemical products including many food and reagent-grade products like malic acid. With an abundance of world-class seaports within just a few short hours, our Orlando chemical supply company is positioned as the “go to” supplier on a national, as well as international level. Give us a call today at 407-339-BELL (2355) to place an order!

ontarget 5/22/13 ontarget 5/22/13

10 Myths About Caffeine

Caffeine is naturally found in the seeds, fruits, and leaves of many plants. In fact, it is commonly collected and extracted from the seed of the "coffee plant" and the leaves of the "tea bush." These plants use caffeine as a natural pesticide to protect against insects, who like to feed on them. The effect caffeine has on humans is quite different. Instead, caffeine acts as a stimulant drug for the central nervous system, providing alertness and energy to those who consume it. Therefore, it is often found in coffee, tea, soda products, and energy drinks.

There are many rumors, beliefs, and myths about what caffeine can and can't do. Here are ten myths about caffeine that we either busted or confirmed:

1. Caffeine causes heart disease – False Although caffeine will stimulate your heart, it will not cause heart disease. However, if you already suffer from over stimulation, it will worsen the symptoms.

2. Caffeine helps you exercise – True Not only can caffeine provide short bursts of energy, the effects of this chemical can enhance endurance and last for a considerable length of time.

3. Caffeine gets rid of the effects of alcohol – False Despite the common belief, drinking coffee will not eliminate the effects of alcohol.

4. Caffeine will cure a migraine – False Caffeine will relieve a migraine, but it will not cure all the symptoms. If you are taking other headache medications, caffeine will help your body absorb the medication more quickly and bring faster relief.

5. Caffeine will dehydrate you – False Caffeine will not dehydrate you. In fact, if you drink a caffeinated beverage like coffee, it counts toward your hydration for the day, just like water.

6. Caffeine will help with exercise recovery – True People who consume caffeine between sessions of physical activity have more strength than those who do not. Caffeine may also improve exercise recovery by helping to reduce muscle pain and soreness after work outs, training, or any other physical activity.

7. Caffeine can help you lose weight – False Although caffeine can speed up your metabolism, it does not have long-term effects leading to weight loss.

8. Caffeine will cause insomnia – False Because the human body can absorb caffeine so quickly, it also eliminates it quickly. Due to this short life span, having caffeine earlier in the day will not cause insomnia. However, if you decide to have caffeine later in the day, it may interfere with sleep (leave roughly six hours free of caffeine before sleep).

9. Caffeine is harmful for women trying to conceive – False There have been many studies conducted that have not shown any links between consuming low amounts of caffeine and harmful effects that prevent women from getting pregnant. It is suggested however, that when trying to conceive, you should regulate the amount of caffeine you do consume.

10. There are no health benefits to Caffeine – FALSE There are many benefits to consuming caffeine from the obvious signs of alertness, energy, concentration, sociability, and clear-headiness to an improved immune system (anti-inflammatory effects) and helping to lessen allergic reactions by reducing the concentration of histamines.

At our Orlando chemical supply company, caffeine is just one of the many chemical products we offer. In addition to nutritional chemical products, we stock many hard to find tech-grade chemicals and custom compounds. Our chemicals are used in a wide range of applications such as health and nutrition, personal rare care materials, pharmaceuticals, coatings, and industrial applications. Call us at 407-339-BELL (2355) for a full list of our chemical products.

ontarget 5/15/13 ontarget 5/15/13

Everyday Uses of Sodium Chloride (Salt)

What occurs in nature as a mineral, is produced from brine, can be mined, used as a flavoring for food, and can also be found in great abundance in sea water? The answer is sodium chloride, or more commonly referred to as salt. Salt is much more than just a flavoring for your food. Did you know that salt reduced human dependence on the seasonal availability of food (because of its ability to preserve) and allowed humans to travel over long distances? It allowed for the migration and survival of civilization. In fact, sodium chloride serves as one of the most important substances used by the human race. Throughout history, salt was used for trading purposes and often resulted in national economies and wars. Although times have changed, the world still consumes and uses quite a bit of sodium chloride each year. The world's annual consumption of salt exceeds 150 million tons!

So, what is everyone using sodium chloride for? What are some of its everyday uses?

Sodium Chloride for the Human Body:

Minor Sore Throat - Have a sore throat? Relieve it by mixing a small amount of salt in some warm water and gargle. It is still recommended by doctors today.
Tired Aching Feet - Soak your feet in some warm salt water and it will ease the soreness and ache in your muscles. Epsom salt will work as well.
Sprains, Strains and Bee Stings- Warmly dampen a towel, sprinkle some sodium chloride on it, fold it and then place it on the affected area. Even if it's only temporary, it will bring some relief.
Poison Ivy - Although a salt bath won't cure poison ivy, it will sooth the irritation.

Everyday Household Uses for Sodium Chloride:

Cleaning Vegetables - Cleaning your vegetables in salt water can remove any dirt or grit that may be trapped on and in between them.
Remove Coffee and Tea Stains from Cups - You can remove any coffee or tea stains by rubbing the stained area with a damp sponge or cloth dipped in salt. You can even clean your coffee maker for that next fresh cup of coffee! Fill it with water, salt and boil.
Grease Fire - Never, and I mean never, pour water on a grease fire. Use salt instead.
Reduce Grease Build Up - Pouring some warm salt water down the drain can help reduce grease build up.
Kills Weeds - Sprinkling salt on unwanted plants will kill them.
Kills Fleas and Deters Ants - If you are having a flea problem, or an ant problem, sprinkle some salt around your home and lightly on your carpet.

As a top chemical supplier in Orlando, Bell Chem offers fast delivery of any of our hundreds of chemical products including sodium chloride. Our Florida chemical supply company is positioned as the “go to” supplier on a national, as well as international level. Give us a call today at 407-339-BELL (2355) to place an order for chemical products!