Product Spotlight: Maltodextrin

Bell Chem sells a wide variety of products, but not all are as versatile and valuable to food and drink processors as maltodextrin. Maltodextrin is a carbohydrate food additive produced from corn, potato, rice, or wheat starch. Maltodextrin is generally sold in powder form and varies in taste from flavorless to sweet. The Tampa food ingredient supplier, Bell Chem, stocks maltodextrin for its myriad uses, including those listed below.

Processed foods, soft drinks, soups, gravies, and candy all use maltodextrin as a thickener or filler to increase the volume without altering the taste. It also acts as a preservative to extend the shelf life of products.

Beer breweries find that maltodextrin increases the specific gravity of the beer, reduces the dryness of the drink, improves the “mouthfeel” of beer, and enhances beer’s head retention. Because yeast cannot ferment it, maltodextrin will not increase beer’s alcohol content.

When maltodextrin is added to light peanut butter, it retains the well-loved creamy texture while reducing fat content by over 20%.

As a thickener, maltodextrin is added to infant formula, most sugar substitutes such as Splenda and aspartame, and other food products to increase the volume of the product.

The combination of maltodextrin and corn syrup remarkably sweetens products to the same level as using table sugar. Products that require thickening as well as sweetening, such as those listed above, benefit from the addition of maltodextrin.

Pharmaceutical-quality maltodextrin is a free-flowing, fine-grained thickener and direct compression binder added to lozenges, tablets, and nutritional products.

The ability to perform several functions simultaneously gives maltodextrin an edge over other ingredients and additives. Maltodextrin is an extremely versatile product used in food and drink processing and can help processors achieve a variety of goals ranging from sweetening to thickening.

Give the Tampa food ingredient supplier, Bell Chem, a call today at 407-339-2355 (BELL) or reach out to us through our online form. Our representatives would love to speak with you concerning Maltodextrin or any of our other food ingredients and products that we offer. Additionally, visit our blog to learn more about other Bell Chem products and services.  

Kosher Products

The Hebrew word kashrut means proper or right; applied to food it becomes kashrus and describes foods fit for consumption. The Torah lists methods for foods – both animals and vegetables – to be prepared before they may be consumed. Bell Chem, your Orlando food ingredient supplier, carries many food ingredients and products that meet the stringent guidelines of kosher certification and may be utilized in food preparation and cooking. Below are a number of those products and how they may relate to food.

-  Ascorbic Acid USP Crystal: Used as an acidity regulator as well as an antioxidant to keep foods from spoiling, ascorbic acid also boosts the levels of Vitamin C in processed foods. When foods are processed, the heat and water work to reduce or destroy Vitamin C. After processing is complete, ascorbic acid increases the lowered Vitamin C levels to pre-processing totals.

- Propylene Glycol: As a humectant, propylene glycol maintains food moisture levels; as a solvent, it is a viscous liquid carrier of ingredients; as a preservative it helps foods retain freshness.

- 99.7% Vegetable Glycerin: Much like propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin acts as a humectant, solvent, and a preservative. Its sweet taste also gives it the ability to sweeten products.

- Citric Acid FCC: As an emulsifier, citric acid keeps fats from separating or sugar from crystallizing; the buffering acid stabilizes pH; and added to sodium bicarbonate, citric acid creates effervescence.

- Tri-calcium phosphate FCC: This nutritional supplement of calcium promotes bone growth and repair. As a buffer, it is used frequently as an antacid, and cheese manufacturers use tri-calcium phosphate in cheese processing.

- White mineral oil 70% NF food: Rubbed into wooden food preparation surfaces, white mineral oil 70% absorbs food odors and expedites cleaning because it prevents water absorption.

The ability to create kosher foods using kosher ingredients and preparation techniques is now easier with help from your Orlando food ingredient supplier, Bell Chem. Give Bell Chem a call at 407-339-2355 (BELL) for a listing of all our kosher products, and read our blogs for more information on our products.

Sodium Chlorite

Sodium chlorite has uses in a number of industries, from textiles and papers to foods and pharmaceuticals. The Tampa chemical supplier, Bell Chem, stocks sodium chlorite (NaClO2) for its clients to use in any of the following manners as well as many more.

- Sodium chlorite breaks down to generate chlorine dioxide, which is utilized in the bleaching and stripping of pulp and paper.

- Municipal water treatment plants find that sodium chlorite can be used as a disinfectant when it is converted to chlorine dioxide.

- The converted form of chlorine dioxide is also an approved form of disinfectant added to water for cleaning poultry, fruits, and vegetables.

- The chlorine component of sodium chlorite is an excellent disinfectant used in bleaching.

- Mouthwash, toothpaste, mouth spray, and eye drops all contain sodium chlorite as a preservative and disinfectant.

- HVAC systems and animal containment areas can be quickly sanitized with sodium chlorite.

- The food industry uses sodium chlorite because of its antimicrobial, sterilizing, and water purifying properties.

- Hospitals sterilize equipment and clinic rooms with sodium chlorite, and the meat industry utilizes sodium chlorite as a disinfectant.

- Sodium chlorite destroys all anaerobic microbes and parasites, which makes it ideal for areas that must be sterilized. In food preparation, sodium chlorite performs these functions, but, if ingested, will not damage the beneficial lactobacteria in the digestive system.

- The oxidizing properties of sodium chlorite, which, as noted above, kill microbes and parasites, give it the strength to work as a pesticide and herbicide.

With so many applications, sodium chlorite is a chemical almost every industry will benefit in stocking. Call the Tampa chemical supplier, Bell Chem, at 407-339-2355 (BELL) to ask about sodium chlorite and any of the other chemicals and products we stock. Read our past blogs for information on many of our growing line of products.

Kosher Products at Bell Chem

When a product is labeled “kosher,” it means that the products are pure or suitable for consumption by followers of the laws of the Torah. Kosher products face strict dietary guidelines that ensure every letter of the Torah’s laws are obeyed. Several of the products and chemicals sold by the Florida chemical supplier, Bell Chem, are certified kosher, meaning they do not contain animal or plant derivatives specifically mentioned in the Torah as unfit for consumption.

Foods considered kosher, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, may not be acceptable if they are packaged with non-kosher products, such as trace amounts of impure animal fats or whey from a non-kosher cow. Although chickens and cows are acceptable, they must be fed a diet that meets kosher standards, and they must be processed humanely.

However, foods are not the only products that can be certified kosher. Any additives or supplements consumed must also meet the same standards as kosher foods. Bell Chem understands these guidelines and has an array of food-grade supplements and chemicals that may be added to packaged foods to maintain their freshness while still obeying all kosher guidelines. A few of those products include proprietary vitamin blends, vegetable glycerine, ascorbic acid crystals, stearic acid powder, citric acid, potassium citrate, sodium citrate dihydrate, tri-calcium phosphate, white mineral oil, canola oil, granular urea, and fructose crystals.

Bell Chem is pleased to allow its customers the ability to prepare and preserve kosher foods with ingredients approved by the laws of the Torah. To learn more about kosher products, contact the Florida chemical supplier, Bell Chem, at 407-339-2355 (BELL). Read our blogs for information on our line of products and chemicals.

Product Spotlight: Tri-Calcium Phosphate FCC Kosher

Tri-calcium phosphate, known alternately as TCP, tri-calcium orthophosphate, tribasic calcium phosphate, or bone phosphate of lime (BPL), is a calcium salt of phosphoric acid with the chemical formula Ca3(PO4)2. The Food Chemicals Codex (FCC) is an international compendium of standards that verifies the quality and purity of food ingredients. Bell Chem, the Tampa chemical supplier, proudly stocks this important additive. Here is a list of some of its uses.

• Clump Prevention: Light, powdery spices and baby powder have a tendency to clump if exposed to even minute amounts of moisture. Tri-calcium phosphate acts as an anticaking agent. It has the ability to absorb 10% of its weight in moisture to prevent clumping and allow the product to flow or pour easily.
• The Medical Field: Because it contains calcium, tri-calcium phosphate has uses in the medical field as bone grafting material and ceramic coatings.
• Reinforcer: The primary function of tri-calcium phosphate is fortification of the calcium and phosphate content in foods, nutritional supplements, and beverages.
• Regulates Acidity: On the pH scale, tri-calcium phosphate is considered basic and is used regularly as an antacid or acidity regulator.
• Use in Foods & Beverages: Reduced-fat foods and beverages utilize tri-calcium phosphate to give products opacity, thickness, and smoothness. Cheese manufacturers use it as a mineral salt while processing cheeses. Breads and baked goods require leavening agents such as tri-calcium phosphate to lighten and soften products by adding gas bubbles before and during baking.

The mineral source of tri-calcium phosphate (FCC, kosher) allows it to be used in vegan and organic products as well as part of a strict kosher diet. Its varied applications give it the ability to be utilized in a wide variety of foods and products. Tampa chemical supplier, Bell Chem, stocks tri-calcium phosphate (FCC, kosher) along with many other kosher products and chemicals. Call us today at 407-339-2355 (BELL) to speak with one of our trained associates, and read our past blogs for more information on Bell Chem’s products.

Learn More About Bell Chem

Bell Chem has been working with its customers since 1992 when it opened its doors in Longwood, Florida. Our business has grown along with our line of products to today’s impressive lineup of chemicals for the citrus industry, water treatment plants, industrial manufacturing, and other industries demanding the purest chemical compounds shipped quickly, safely, and accurately by your reagent-grade chemical supplier, Bell Chem.

Working individually with each company, Bell Chem determines its business needs and which chemicals are best suited to meet those needs. For instance, the USP-approved antibacterial chemical used in nutritional or food service must be of a different grade than a more heavy-duty form used for industrial use. Likewise, some surfaces may require a cleaner while others need a more stringent sanitizer. The ability to deliver the correct product for every customer makes Bell Chem a leader in all forms of chemical products.

While many of our chemicals are used in the manufacture of nutritional, personal care, and pharmaceutical products, other industrial-strength chemicals clean and sanitize the work surfaces and machinery for those businesses. Most businesses cannot survive without chemicals to extend shelf life, keep food free of pathogens, and sanitize equipment, and Bell Chem is able to satisfy each of those specific areas of need.

Technical-grade chemicals utilized in water treatment facilities are a large component of Bell Chem’s lineup of first-rate chemicals. Industries worldwide rely on our chemicals for product manufacturing and safe food handling. Safe Chem, our business partner for the past 20 years, is your source for sanitation treatment to meet industry standards. With Bell Chem’s CsanTM cleaning and sanitizing chemicals and Safe Chem’s knowledge in training and technical services for food sanitizing and cleaning, we can meet your business’s most stringent quality safety demands for cleanliness and food handling.

Give Bell Chem, the reagent grade chemical supplier, a call at 407-339-BELL (407-339-2355) to learn more about our inventory of chemicals for your industry.

Spotlight: Personal Care Oils Offered by Bell Chem

Bell Chem offers a wide variety of personal care oils to assure your skin, hair, and body receive the best, most holistic, care possible. From almond oil to sunflower oil and all points in between, the Tampa chemical supplier of personal care oils, Bell Chem, can provide you with high-quality oils. Personal care oils are utilized for several purposes, including anti-aging, skin care, hair and nail care, oral hygiene, and overall health. Below is a list of the oils offered by Bell Chem along with the manner they aid in your well-being.

• Almond oil contains vitamins and nutrients good for you heart, skin, nails, and hair. It relieves eczema and psoriasis with its hydrating and anti-itching properties, removes debris beneath the skin’s surface, diminishes fine lines with the collagen it contains, and relieves muscle aches and fatigue.
• Apricot kernel oil deeply penetrates the skin without feeling greasy. The high oleic and linoleic acid contents make it a good source of antioxidants.
• Coconut oil is a great deep conditioner for hair, a facial moisturizer, deodorant, and shaving cream. Coconut oil prevents dandruff and itchy scalp and hinders infections.
• Corn oil conditions hair and skin with its large reserve of omega-6 and omega-9 fats, which trap water for stronger hair and act as a barrier against dryness. Corn oil also prevents hair loss.
• Olive oil increases the viscosity (thickness) of products and acts as a cleanser, conditioner, and moisturizer. It is used in bath products, soaps and detergents, conditioners and shampoos, makeup, and skin care merchandise.
• Eucalyptus oil dilates blood vessels, making it a useful expectorant that cleanses the body of toxins and microorganisms that cause illness. Wound healing is one of its oldest uses, and it works well against sinusitis and respiratory discomforts and diseases including bronchitis, COPD, asthma, and tuberculosis. Use eucalyptus oil as a moisturizer for the removal of odors and to combat grease and grime.
• Oat oil soothes and nourishes damaged and sensitive skin with its antioxidant properties. The ability of oat oil to support the elasticity of the skin and hair give both a more youthful appearance.
• Safflower oil improves hair growth with its natural oleic acid content, which stimulates circulation within the scalp, allowing new hair to grow. Linoleic acid in safflower oil improves skin texture and facilitates in the regeneration of skin cells.
• Sesame oil is antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and antibacterial, thanks to the linoleic and palmitic acids it contains. These properties give it the ability to repair damaged skin cells, slow the presence of aging, moisturize, and protect against sun exposure.

The influx of personal care oils on the market is both abundant and overwhelming. The high-quality oils stocked by the Tampa chemical supplier, Bell Chem, can be used alone or in conjunction with other products for a myriad personal care uses. Contact Bell Chem today at 407-339-BELL (407-339-2355) for more information about our products.

Bell Chem to Sponsor the International Citrus & Beverage Conference in Clearwater Beach, Florida on September 20-23, 2016

Bell Chem is a sponsor of the International Citrus & Beverage Conference hosted by the University of Florida. The event, located in Clearwater Beach, Florida, will take place September 20-23. This year’s conference focuses on the impact of new industry regulations, technological advances in the global juice and beverage industry, and important issues specific to the citrus industry, such as the Huanglongbing bacteria spread by the Asian citrus psyllid that negatively affects fruit and kills citrus trees.

Registration is from 4:00pm to 7:00pm on Tuesday, September 20.

Wednesday’s activities include registration and refreshments at 7:30am, followed by an introductory session. Morning sessions include production trends, bactericides for citrus, and the conversion of citrus peel to valuable chemicals. After lunch, Session Two includes juice making, fruit and vegetable trends from the west coast, and issues and opportunities in the juice industry. A reception follows at 6:00pm.

Thursday’s activities begin with registration and refreshments before sessions concerning the 2011 impact of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), which aims to shift standard focus from responding to contamination to preventing its occurrence. The discussions after lunch will focus on fruit and beverage taste and how to improve it.

Friday’s registration and reception is sponsored in part by Bell Chem, your trusted citrus industry chemical supplier. Friday has a mixed bag of interesting talks on everything from social media to crop statistics. The conference closes at 11:45am.

Speakers for each of the sessions are members of academia, government researchers, industry leaders, and technical and managerial personnel. Their insights are sure to provide answers to questions and concerns many of the conference members have. New methods and preparations, news from across the nation, and industry specifications will also be discussed throughout the conference.

John Cervo, Bell Chem’s president and founder, is enthusiastic about his company’s role in the 2016 International Citrus & Beverage Conference. “With such a rich variety of leaders, researchers, and experts, I am sure the conference will be well received,” states Cervo. To pre-register for this important conference, simply click on this link. Bell Chem looks forward to meeting new and existing friends at the International Citrus & Beverage conference.

About Bell Chem

Bell Chem was founded in 1992 by John Cervo and Charles Williams in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando). We offer a diverse line of food, pharmaceutical, and personal care raw materials, many highly specialized botanical and nutritional ingredients, hard to find technical grade chemicals and custom compounds, as well as a full line of industrial and water treatment chemicals. Together with our business partner, Safe Chem, we offer C-san™ Sanitation blends to the Citrus and Food Processing Industries. Bell Chem’s mission is to provide its customers with the highest quality products, expedited for maximum efficiency, with unrivaled and personalized customer service.

Tips for Safely Transporting Chemicals

Transporting chemicals can be a risky endeavor unless you follow safety guidelines in place for shipping any type of chemicals, from nutritional and beauty care chemicals to industrial chemicals. Knowing how to transport chemicals will keep your business, the shipping company, and the purchasing party safe. Read below for tips from Bell Chem on the safest method to transport chemicals.

A supplier label is provided or affixed (attached) by the supplier and will appear on all hazardous products received at a workplace in Canada. If the hazardous product is always used in the container with the supplier label, no other label is required.

A workplace label is required when a hazardous product is produced (made) at the workplace and used in that workplace, a hazardous product is decanted (e.g., transferred or poured) into another container, or a supplier label becomes lost or illegible (unreadable).

* Initial supplier identifier – There are two exceptions to this requirement:

• In a situation where a hazardous product is being sold by a distributor, the distributor may replace the name, address and telephone number of the initial supplier with their own contact information.
• A supplier label must be affixed to every chemical leaving a manufacturer’s premises. This label needs to contain a product identifier (brand name, chemical name, et cetera), initial supplier information; and any hazard symbols, signal words, simple statements explaining the hazard and supplemental label information for more information concerning product classification.
• Chemical symbols are necessary for storage as well as shipment. Transporting dangerous chemicals without proper containment may lead to leakage, breakage, or inadvertent changes in the chemical properties. Symbols may include “corrosive,” “toxic,” “flammable,” or “oxidizing,” to name a few.
• Safety considerations are extremely important for transportation. While some chemicals may require refrigeration throughout the journey, others may need to be packed in Styrofoam or dry ice. Know what specific considerations your chemicals require, such as the type of vehicle or packaging needed to ship, the safety equipment for each chemical’s safe transport, whether the chemical can be stacked safely or if it must be shipped without stacking, and the physical conditions the chemical needs.
• Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) must accompany each chemical. These important sheets explain critical information pertaining to their chemical, including their properties and how to handle them, and the shipping process.

Knowing the correct procedure for shipping chemicals means the chemical shipped is the chemical received with no physical or chemical breakdown en route. Bell Chem has perfected its shipping practices and will safely transport any of its chemicals to you. Give the sanitation, reagent, and beauty care chemicals company, Bell Chem, a call at 407-339-2355 (BELL), and read our blogs for more information on our chemical inventory and safe practices.

Beauty Care Ingredients at Bell Chem

When consumers think of a chemical supply leader such as Bell Chem, they usually envision heavy-duty industrial chemicals and water-treatment chemicals. Bell Chem has a gentler side, though, as a supplier for beauty care ingredients and nutritional supplements. From adipic acid to zinc oxide, Bell Chem has dozens of chemicals to enhance your cosmetic line. The Food and Drug Administration recognizes three distinct categories of cosmetics – cosmetics, drugs, and soaps. Bell Chem serves all three categories with chemicals, oils, and extracts that can be compounded to create the ultimate product. These raw materials have been refined and tested for efficacy, safety, and shelf life to meet rigorous industry demands and provide you with the ultimate in beauty care chemicals.

Most cosmetics contain four broad categories of ingredients, which combine to create hundreds of thousands of products. Following is a list of these four categories along with examples of each.

• Active ingredients: Active ingredients are the portion of a beauty care product designed to have a pharmacological effect. They will have the greatest impact on skin and hair, and because active ingredients are considered a drug, they are further regulated by the FDA. Examples of active ingredients include sulfur and benzoyl peroxide in acne medications, zinc oxide in sunscreen, and Vitamin E for skin lightening.

• Conditioning ingredients: These are ingredients that give skin and hair a richer, silkier, or fuller effect. Examples are silicone and glycerine in shampoo and propylene glycol as a skin conditioner.

• Functional ingredients: This is the “bulk” of the product that determines if it is a cream, lotion, gel, shampoo, etc. Examples include emulsifiers and polymers, detergents, and pH adjustors.

• Preservatives: Sometimes, preservatives are classified as functional ingredients simply because they stabilize products over an extended period of time. Their second role – retaining product stability without an influx of bacteria, mold, or yeast – gives them a dimension worth categorizing separately. Preservative examples can be anti-microbials such as parabens, and antioxidants to prevent oxygen damage and degradation.

With a range of uses from cosmetics, shampoos, conditioners, antiperspirants, toothpastes and mouthwashes, to infant and baby care products, beauty care chemicals are used everyday by most of the population. Bell Chem believes a more thorough understanding of the role of beauty care chemicals, as well as their derivatives will ensure customers are better informed when they purchase hygiene-related products. Contact Bell Chem at 407-339-2355 (BELL) to speak with one of our beauty care experts, and browse the product information on our website for details on an array of chemicals for you and your company.