The Nutritional Benefits of Canola Oil

Canola oil, a healthy fat, is often used as a replacement for less healthy oils, therefore, keeping it in high demand. Because of its health benefits, ease of use, and marketability, the nutritional chemical supplier Bell Chem wants its customers to better understand this marvelous oil. First created in Canada (“Can”-ada + “ola”-oil), canola oil was developed from deriving traits from the rapeseed and applying them to the canola plant. The oil produced from this cross contains no trans-fat or cholesterol, has the lowest amount of saturated fat on the market, and may have favorable health benefits as opposed to the negative effects of many other cooking oils.

• Canola oil increases vitamin absorption by acting as a fat-soluble carrier. These vitamins can include A, D, E, and K.

• Canola oil contains no proteins. Proteins are often responsible for causing allergic reactions, and the lack of proteins means the body’s immune system will not react negatively to the use of canola oil.

• Canola oil has a long shelf life. Stored at room temperature, canola oil can linger on the shelf for approximately one year.

• Canola oil is high in monounsaturated fat, which helps lower LDL cholesterol and control fluctuating blood glucose levels. The omega-3 fatty acids in canola oil, which contain the most plant-based omega-3 fatty acids on the market, are good for the heart.

• Isothiocyanates, compounds found in canola, reportedly help prevent some forms of cancer.

• Research has shown that canola oil can reduce belly fat and may improve metabolic syndrome symptoms that increase heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.

Because of these health benefits, canola oil is often the preferred choice. Order this nutritional chemical and many more from Bell Chem, your nutritional chemical supplier.

Bell Chem is based in Longwood, FL just north of Orlando with hundreds of products stocked in our 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 handle all your needs by calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or send us an online message.

Caustic Soda: The Versatile Chemical

Many chemicals are specialized with a short range of practical applications. Caustic soda – also known as sodium hydroxide – definitely defies that categorization. Industries around the globe have found dozens of uses for caustic soda, and the Jacksonville chemical supplier, Bell Chem, stocks several different forms and gradients of this versatile chemical.

• Chemical manufacturing: Used as a feedstock, caustic soda is an intermediary and reactant in the production of solvents, synthetic fibers, plastic, bleach, adhesives, herbicides, pharmaceuticals, dyes, and inks.

• Cosmetics and personal care: Caustic soda acts as a buffering agent in fragrances, makeup, powders, shampoos, hair straighteners, and shaving and skin care products.

• Food and beverage industry: Caustic soda adjusts the pH in many packaged foods. It also acts as a chemical peel and detergent for fruits and vegetables.

• Industrial cleaning: Caustic soda can saponify fat, tallow, and vegetable oils, making it ideal in soaps and detergents. Acting as a chemical base or surfactant in detergents, oven cleaners, and drain cleaners, caustic soda breaks down grease, fats, and protein-based deposits.

• Pulp and paper manufacturing: Bleaching and pulping are simplified with the addition of the alkaline caustic soda. Waste paper inscribed with ink becomes unblemished when caustic soda is applied. The paper and pulp industry consume a huge percentage of caustic soda production.

• Textile industry: Synthetic fibers are easily dyed with caustic soda, and cotton processing is one of sodium hydroxide’s best textile uses.

• Water treatment: When the pH varies slightly in water treatment facilities, bacteria and other microbes flourish or tuberculation appears. As a pH adjuster, caustic soda maintains safer pH levels for sanitation systems.

Bell Chem, your Jacksonville chemical supplier, is based in Longwood, FL, just north of Orlando. With hundreds of products stocked in our 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including caustic soda, you will find the chemical or ingredient your thriving business needs. Expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service from Bell Chem. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff handle all your needs by calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or send us an online message.

Naturally Occurring Energy: The Benefits of Malic Acid

Malic acid is a colorless, crystalline, organic compound naturally occurring in fruits such as apples, grapes, cherries, tomatoes, and pears. The personal raw care materials supplier Bell Chem offers malic acid to its customer for utilization in supplements and pharmaceutical products because of its positive impact on the human body.

• Increased Energy: The body produces energy by converting the food we eat into energy that our cells can readily use in a process known as the Krebs cycle. The end product, ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is catabolized by malic acid. Therefore, individuals with mitochondrial disorders, fibromyalgia, or chronic fatigue syndrome greatly benefit from supplements containing malic acid. With energy being produced more efficiently, patients with chronic fatigue issues find energy levels are higher throughout the day due to malic acid.

• Increased Exercise Tolerance: With renewed energy from increasing malic acid intake, patients with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, or mitochondrial disorders can exercise longer and at higher intensities than in the past.

• Improved Skin: Malic acid’s ability to change metabolic processes at the cellular level works wonders for your skin as well. Malic acid promotes collagen production to reduce wrinkles and other signs of aging, opens pores to help acne, and removes dead skin cells to smooth the skin’s surface.

• Enhanced Taste: To add icing to the cake, malic acid has a great flavor. Food and beverage manufacturers use malic acid as a flavor enhancer to mask flavors we may not find appealing. Personal care products, such as mouthwash and toothpaste, find malic acid increases saliva, which reduces bacterial count in the mouth. As the name implies, malic acid has a low pH and can aid in stomach digestion when the body does not naturally produce ample hydrochloric acid to chemically break down food. Once food is broken into smaller nutrients, it is much more easily digested. Malic acid, therefore, allows nutrients to be absorbed more quickly within the digestive tract.

Malic acid, stocked by the personal raw care materials supplier Bell Chem, is truly a beneficial nutrient for your body. Order this supplement and many others from Bell Chem. Our headquarters are located in Longwood, FL – just north of Orlando – with hundreds of products stocked in our 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 handle all your needs by calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or send us an online message.

Get the Skinny on Sugar Substitutes

Occurring naturally in places like sugarcane, sugar beets, and honey, sugar has long been the sweetener of choice. However, within the past half-century, other products have shown up next to sugar on grocery store shelves, touting their low-calorie advantages with the same or even sweeter taste. Sugar substitutes now line the shelves in a variety of forms. Take a look at some of the different kinds below.

• Sucralose: Derived from sucrose – common table sugar – sucralose is sugar with a twist, literally! The chemical formula is altered by replacing 3 hydrogen-oxygen groups with chlorine atoms, which changes both the shape of the overall molecule and the way it interacts with the body. While remaining sweet, the molecule is not accumulated as extra energy the way sugar molecules are. Sucralose is potent – approximately 600 times sweeter than sucrose – and can be added as a liquid or solid in foods and beverages. Because sucralose passes through the body unimpeded, diabetic patients are able to consume sucralose with no worry when it is added to foods or drinks. Bacteria do not use sucralose as a food source either, so cavities do not form from eating foods with sucralose as a sweetener.

• Aspartame: With its clean, sweet taste, aspartame enhances citrus and fruit flavors. Chewing gum containing aspartame remains sweet almost 4 times longer than similar gum containing sucrose. Much like sucralose, the chemical composition of aspartame (C13H18O5N2) causes it to flush from the body without being stored as an energy source. Therefore, diabetic patients are able to enjoy foods and beverages containing aspartame, and consumers will not suffer dental caries from consuming aspartame.

• Stevia: A recent newcomer to the sugar substitute stage is stevia. Unlike other sugar substitutes, stevia is derived directly from a plant, much like how cane sugar is derived from sugarcane. The stevia plant, related to ragweed and daisies, has been used locally for hundreds of years in Paraguay and Brazil as an herb to sweeten foods, treat burns, and cure illnesses, such as colic and upset stomachs. With zero calories, stevia is 200 times sweeter than table sugar in the same concentration.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports in a 2012 interview that approximately 24% of adults and 12% of children use sugar substitutes, and that market is only continuing to expand. Keep up with the demand by ordering these food-grade ingredients and many others from Bell Chem, your Jacksonville chemical supplier. Bell Chem’s headquarters are located in Longwood, FL – just north of Orlando – with hundreds of products stocked in our 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 handle all your needs by calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or send us an online message.

Propylene Glycol: A Multipurpose Chemical for Many Industries

Propylene glycol is a synthetic organic alcohol with the ability to attract and retain water. Propylene glycol has a variety of functions in a myriad of industries, including pharmaceutical, food and beverage, and personal care. Below are only a few uses of propylene glycol in these industries.

• When propylene glycol’s purity exceeds 99.8%, USP and EP deem it acceptable for foods and pharmaceuticals. In this form, propylene glycol can be used as a solvent for aromatics, in elixirs for pharmaceutical compounds, as a humectant for the salivary glands to wet the mouth, or as a solvent and emulsifier in sunscreens and lotions.

• The pharmaceutical industry adds multi-purpose propylene glycol as an inactive ingredient in oral, injectable, and topical medications. Because it decreases the viscosity of liquids, propylene glycol makes oral medications easier to pour. As a stabilizer, propylene glycol helps to deliver the precise amount of medication with each dose.

• Dairy and brewing industries find propylene glycol’s properties convenient in low temperature heat-transfer fluids. Grocery stores often rely on propylene glycol in food display cases for this same reason.

• The food industry has three separate but intertwined uses for propylene glycol: as a preservative, a stabilizer, and a humectant. Coffee, tree nuts, soda, baked goods, and salad dressings are only a few products that list propylene glycol as an ingredient as it helps deliver the same amount of flavor and moisture with each bite or sip.

• Many cosmetics, including moisturizers, soaps, deodorants, facial cleansers, shampoos, and conditioners, contain propylene glycol as a moisturizer, solvent, and humectant. As a dispersant, propylene glycol is added to fragrances so the exact amount of odor is released with every spray.

With such a wide range of uses, propylene glycol will surely benefit your company. Order this chemical and many more from Bell Chem, your Florida chemical supply company. Bell Chem’s headquarters are located in Longwood, FL – just north of Orlando – with hundreds of products stocked in our 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 handle all your needs by calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or send us an online message.

Spotlight on Xanthan Gum 80 Mesh FCC

With its ability to thicken and flavor sauces, liquids, and foods, xanthan gum is a chef’s best friend. Although it derives from mixing fermented sugars with bacteria, it has a neutral flavor. It has a similar mouthfeel to fat, which gives it a starring role in low-fat foods. The significance of “80 mesh” relates to grain size; 80 mesh xanthan gum is suitable for almost all conditions. Read below to learn how xanthan gum will help your commercial kitchen thrive.

• Emulsion and stabilization: When foods and liquids are emulsified, oils and water mix together equally, as in dressings and sauces. With stabilization, particles are evenly suspended in a solution, giving the same flavor to foods and beverages with each mouthful. The emulsification properties also inhibit or slow crystallization of products over time.

• Adding texture: Even minute amounts of xanthan gum give food a heartier texture, adding bulk to creams, soups, purees, and sauces. Many foods often appear bulky with initial mixing, but break down over time. Xanthan gum stabilizes creamy foods to keep particles evenly distributed within the solvent, causing foods to look and taste more appealing even after extended periods of time.

• Moisture retention: Baked goods retain moisture with the addition of xanthan gum. Moisture also plays a role in its pharmaceutical uses. Because of its ability to impede the absorption of sugar, patients who suffer from dry mouth use xanthan gum as a saliva substitute. Moisture retention also aids patients with intestinal discomfort by stimulating the movement of food through the intestine.

• Other pharmaceutical uses: Toothpastes and medicines are stabilized with xanthan gum, blood sugar and cholesterol levels are lowered, and slow-release medications are stabilized.

• Cosmetic use: Used topically, xanthan gum gives facial masks and cleansers, gels, and creams a silky texture.

Another benefit of xanthan gum 80 mesh is its ability to work in high salinity, alkaline, or acidic conditions. This gives the food and beverage industry, as well as the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry, opportunities to utilize xanthan gum where other products may not suffice.

Food ingredient supplier company, Bell Chem, has its headquarters located in Longwood, FL – just north of Orlando – with hundreds of products stocked in our 50,000+ square-foot warehouse. You can expect the highest quality products, maximum efficiency, expedited shipping options, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff handle all your needs by calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or send us an online message.

Unleash the Power of Citrus With D-limonene

The power of citrus lies not only in the juice and pulp; citrus rinds contain a component known as d-limonene (dextro-limonene), which is pressed and distilled from the rind. With global production exceeding 150 million pounds a year, d-limonene is a product the world recognizes for many great uses, including the following.

• Solvent: Because it is natural, d-limonene is the solvent of choice for industries that prefer not to use harsh, dangerous solvents in their products. When used with a surfactant, d-limonene removes asphalt and tar. Its KB solvency rating is 67. Wax, gum, adhesives, and ink can all be removed in products with d-limonene added as a solvent.

• Degreaser: At 30% potency, d-limonene with an alkaline detergent becomes a high-quality degreaser. Concrete driveways, commercial kitchens, and machine shops benefit from adding d-limonene to their cleaning regimen. Even baked-on oils are quickly removed with d-limonene.

• Cleaning products: Paint brushes clean easily with d-limonene. Since this product can be frequently reused, electronics manufacturers find board washing with d-limonene beneficial and practical. Many vertical surfaces are difficult to clean with traditional sprays since the sprays simply drip off after application. In a higher concentration (above 50%), thick d-limonene clings to surfaces and picks up dirt, oil, clay, and salt. Refineries and oil rigs use d-limonene to clean machinery and vertical surfaces for this reason. When used at 5% of a product’s total, d-limonene cleans mirrors and glass without damage or smearing.

• Hand sanitizer additive: At 20% to 50% concentration, d-limonene is used in hard surface and hand cleaners. In sanitizers, the pleasant aroma and natural antioxidant properties of citrus are combined with d-limonene.

• Fragrance additive: Bubble baths, cleansing products, aftershave lotions, and animal dips and shampoos carry the lemony, citrusy odor of d-limonene.

• Wastewater treatment compound: Because d-limonene is oil-based, wastewater treatment plants utilize it as a degreaser; it adheres to molecules and floats them to the surface of water.

Sterilizing your equipment could not be easier with the cleaning, degreasing, and solvent compound d-limonene. Order this chemical and many more from Bell Chem, your Jacksonville chemical supplier.

Bell Chem’s headquarters are in Longwood, FL – just north of Orlando – with hundreds of products stocked in our 50,000+ square-foot warehouse. You can expect the highest quality products, maximum efficiency, expedited shipping options, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff handle all your needs by calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or send us an online message.

Multipurpose Products to Transform Your Industry

The most powerful chemical you can use is one with multiple purposes. These three versatile products can be used in a variety of industries, including food, cosmetics, cleaning, and photography. Read on to learn more.

• Ascorbic acid: This water-soluble nutrient boasts dozens of uses, including boosting collagen production, healing wounds, and maintaining bones and teeth. It’s found in plants, particularly in citrus fruits, tomatoes, and green vegetables. Ascorbic acid produces the same vitamin activity as vitamin C. While it’s popular in the food industry, ascorbic acid has numerous non-food applications in pharmaceuticals, photography, pool maintenance, water purification systems, laboratories, plastics, and cosmetics.

• Isopropyl alcohol: 99% isopropyl alcohol is used to clean surfaces and prevent infection from minor surface wounds. While people often recognize it for this purpose, it has many more uses. Isopropyl alcohol is found in many everyday products such as paint thinners, inks, general-purpose cleaners, disinfectants and windshield thawing agents. It can remove glue and solder flux, strip paint, degrease metal, and thaw windshields. It can also be used as an industrial cleaner for machinery and parts. In the cosmetics industry, IPA 99% is found in aftershave lotions and hand lotions, and it is used heavily in the nail industry. The chemical is great for cleaning the surface of the client’s nails and producing maximum nail shine.

• Citric acid: With uses in cosmetics, photography, soaps, and laundry detergents, this environmentally-friendly cleaning agent has abundant potential. Citric acid is most commonly used as a flavor enhancer and preservative in the food and beverage industry. Because of its low pH, citric acid balances pH levels in alkaline products. Citric acid colors foods, catalyzes chemical processes, naturally ferments foods and beverages, extends the shelf life of consumables, emulsifies fats, and expedites absorption of vitamins and minerals.

At Florida chemical supply company, Bell Chem, ascorbic acid, isopropyl alcohol 99%, and citric acid are just a few of the products we offer. On top of a full line of industrial and water treatment chemicals, we also offer a diverse blend of food, pharmaceutical and personal care raw materials. Additionally, we stock many highly specialized botanical and nutritional ingredients as well as hard to find technical grade chemicals and custom compounds. Call us at 407-339-BELL (2355) or contact us online to learn more about what makes us different.

Six Industrial Uses for Acetone

Acetone may be a simple chemical, but don’t judge a book by its cover. All industries can benefit from incorporating it. Florida chemical supply leader, Bell Chem, understands how versatile it is; here’s how different industries can utilize acetone to their advantage.

• Personal care industry: Acetone is best known as the primary ingredient in nail polish remover. Other cosmetic products, such as skin creams and makeup, contain acetone as a solvent to deliver different chemicals. It’s also a key ingredient in chemical skin peels to combat acne.

• Pharmaceutical industry: Active ingredients and fillers use acetone as a solvent to deliver the correct amount of medication each dose; therefore, common drugs tend to use acetone as an excipient. Acetone is often used to denature alcohol as well.

• Textile industry: Acetone not only removes nail polish, it can also remove gum, oil, and other sticky substances from raw textiles like cotton or silk. As a solvent, acetone thins or entirely removes resins, epoxy, and glue from hard or soft surfaces. When welding, applying acetone after a final weld removes rosin flux. Acetone is a great degreaser in metalworking as well.

• Electronics industry: For maximum performance, electronics require exceptionally clean components, and acetone expels all debris.

• Environmental industry: Acetone helps contain oil spills because it dissolves sludge, removing it from the surface of water, marine plants, or animals. Because acetone is an organic compound, it’s considered non-toxic to animals and the environment.

• Petroleum industry: As a gasoline additive, it causes gas to more easily diffuse inside engines since it thins it, allowing it to vaporize. This improves fuel efficiency.

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

Why We Love Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is famous for soothing painful sunburns, but did you know its uses goes beyond that? Rich in vitamins and antioxidants, aloe vera is perfect for both topical use and ingestion. Here at Bell Chem, we keep it stocked for our customers in the health, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, personal care, food and beverage, and nutritional industries. Below are just of a few reasons why we love aloe vera.

• The thick, viscous gel inside the aloe vera leaves contains bioactive antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. Because of this, it can kill many strains of bacteria, viruses, and fungi, and it can even help heal bruises and cuts.

• Topical application can appease sunburns as well as most first and second-degree burns. Several studies have proven it reduces healing time, cutting a normal healing rate by nine days. Since 1959, the FDA has approved aloe vera treatment in ointment form as an over-the-counter burn remedy.

• Ingesting aloe vera benefits the digestive system. Aloe vera juice can be used as a dental rinse since the bioactive components attack oral bacteria and yeasts, thus reducing plaque buildup. Tooth decay, gum disease, mouth ulcers, and canker sores can all be treated, and it reduces pain as well.

• Aloe vera stimulates collagen production in the dermis below the skin’s surface. With age, the human body lessens collagen production, which appears as wrinkles on the epidermis. By stimulating collagen growth, aloe vera slows signs of aging. 

• Because water is almost entirely removed from waste in the colon, it is a prime site for constipation. Aloe vera’s latex – the residue located beneath the outer covering of the leaf – eases constipation with its laxative effects.

Bell Chem is a beauty care chemical supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products, including aloe vera, stocked in our 50,000+ square-foot warehouse. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly representatives and accounting staff handle all your needs by calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or send us a message online.