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Sodium Citrate in Food Production: Molecular Gastronomy and Beyond
Sometimes an ingredient is so versatile it becomes a go-to product added to almost every food. Sodium citrate is one of those favored ingredients. While you may recognize a few of sodium citrate’s many roles in food production, Bell Chem, your food ingredient supplier, wishes to share more the wonders of sodium citrate.
As the sodium salt of citric acid, sodium citrate adds a tart, salty flavor to products while remaining colorless and odorless. Its tiny white crystals do not detract from a food’s overall appearance. For being so low key physically, the chemical properties of sodium citrate lead to spherification of the solvent to which it is added – a culinary masterpiece of chemistry!
Emulsification
Water and oil will not combine unless an emulsifier is added. Sodium citrate allows these two opposing ingredients to coalesce in cheese products, salad dressings, and sauces, giving each mouthful the same flavors. In cheese, calcium citrate helps maintain a smooth, creamy texture upon melting.
pH regulation
If the acidity of a food or beverage is not within proper limits, the taste and texture may suffer. Sodium citrate adjusts the pH to control acidity in carbonated beverages. In highly acidic formulations, sodium citrate raises the pH above 5 to allow for gelification and foam. The correct pH also enhances the shelf life and preservation of products. In ice creams and other frozen desserts, sodium citrate improves the creamy smoothness while inhibiting ice crystal formation.
Buffer
Surprisingly, when the pH is not extremely acidic, sodium citrate acts as a buffer, hindering drastic changes in pH. Stabilization of pH in canning and pickling, even in the acidic range, prevents microbial growth leading to spoilage.
Chelation
In the dairy industry in particular and other industries overall, sodium citrate acts as a chelating agent, stimulating antioxidant function to deter spoilage of products. This sequestration of chemicals is also key to sodium citrate’s molecular gastronomy function: sequestration forms gels without the use of other chemicals, such as calcium.
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 sodium citrate. 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 How Chemicals Enhance Personal Care Products
Personal care products range from cosmetics to topical medications designed to clean, protect, and maintain skin and hair. With approximately 12,500 ingredients from which to choose in the United States, manufacturers can create millions of unique personal care products. Statistically, women in the United States use an average of 9 to 15 personal care products a day, equating to 515 specific chemicals apiece. Bell Chem, your personal care raw ingredient supplier, wants to shed light on the most prominent categories of ingredients within these products to assist in better understanding the role of personal care products in everyday life.
Colors
Whether consumers are hiding a blemish or applying lipstick, color plays a large role in daily personal care. Ingredients may be mineral (such as iron oxide or manganese) or natural (plant-based ingredients such as beet powder or cochineal extract), and pigments can be broken down into organic or inorganic compounds (primarily metal oxides, such as magnesium oxide and potassium oxide).
Fragrances
While some consumers prefer the odor of soap as their fragrance, others choose a floral scent or a musk odor. These scents are properties of chemicals or natural oils. For citrus, not much tops d-limonene. Toothpaste and mouthwash manufacturers frequently choose spearmint or peppermint oils. Aldehydes are the basis of many synthetic perfumes, such as citronella, orange, rose, and vanilla.
Preservatives
The use of preservatives is essential for clean, safe ingredients since preservatives inhibit the growth of bacteria, fungi, and yeast. Salicylic acid and EDTA are frequently used as personal care preservatives.
Surfactants
By lowering the surface tension of water, surfactants have the ability to quickly combine water and soap to gently remove oils and grease from the skin. Surfactants include stearyl alcohol, polysorbates, trolamine, and magnesium stearate. Emulsifiers are a category of surfactants that stabilize fine droplets of oil within a product. An emulsifier helps treat itchy, scaly skin by packing the areas between skin cells. Emulsifiers form a physical barrier atop the epidermis, holding in moisture. Glycerin and mineral oil are stunning examples of emulsifiers.
Thickeners
When a tube dispenses a watery substance, the situation can quickly become disastrous. A thickener ensures uniform consistency. Varieties of thickeners include lipid thickeners (stearic acid and carnauba wax), naturally derived thickeners (guar gum and xanthan gum), mineral thickeners (silica and maltodextrin), and synthetic thickeners (propylene glycol alginate).
Bell Chem is a personal care raw ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including a vast array of personal care 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.
Understanding the Role of Sulfuric Acid in Water Treatment
Many professionals know how important sulfuric acid is in water treatment, but not nearly as many truly understand the varied roles sulfuric acid plays in maintaining healthy, clean drinking water. Bell Chem, the water treatment ingredient supplier, wishes to showcase sulfuric acid’s many water treatment tasks.
Pulling moisture from water?
It seems contradictory that sulfuric acid is able to pull moisture from potable water, but it does. When sulfuric acid is added to water, it causes the acid to completely dissociate, forming a gas in an exothermic reaction as it bonds to water molecules. As the moisture is removed, the particles and contaminants within that moisture is likewise pulled asunder. The freed particles link together, forming much heavier particles that sink to the bottom of the tank. In other words, the power of sulfuric acid is, in the long run, as a desiccant.
Metals No More
Sulfuric acid reacts exothermically with corrosive metals, such as iron, calcium, and manganese, eliminating the metal ions while forming hydrogen gas.
pH Adjustment
As an acid, sulfuric acid can pull a high wastewater pH down to neutral levels where water can be harmlessly digested.
Disinfectant/Odor Eliminator
Water entering a treatment facility often contains tiny bits of particulate matter missed by alternate treatments. As a strong acid, sulfuric acid eliminates malodorous situations as it dissolves the pathogens that cause the odors. When bacteria and viruses are quelled, the water is disinfected and the public is much healthier. The Journal of Water Research published a study stating sulphuric acid eliminates 99% of the waterborne bacteria they tested.
Neutralizing Alkaline Substances
Sulfuric acid neutralizes chlorine, which is listed as a strong pollutant. While chlorine is a commonly used chemical in water treatment, it must be largely eliminated by the time it reaches the consumer. Likewise, calcium carbonate forms a precipitate when in the presence of sulfuric acid, flocculating harmlessly to the base of the tank to be removed.
Bell Chem is your water treatment 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 calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or send us an online message.
Understanding the Different Types of USP Ingredients
Reading labels is vitally important, but it can be confusing. Adding to this is a completely different category of ingredients, specifically, USP ingredients. What are USP ingredients, and how do they differ from traditional ingredients? Your USP ingredient supplier, Bell Chem, is happy to shed light on USP ingredients.
The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) was founded more than 200 years ago to oversee the medicines, supplements, and foods Americans consume. Following quality standards open to public inspection, the USP engages in science to supply medicines meeting strict guidelines on purity, identity, performance, and strength, thereby delivering quality medicines around the world while increasing consumer health.
Prescription Medicine Quality Standards
The purity and strength of prescription medicines cannot be overlooked. Many diseases require precise dosages, and USP ensures every dose is accurate. The quality standards for prescriptions fall under three categories: general chapters, material reference standards, and monographs.
General chapters outline product development procedures to any industry involved in prescription medicine or devices.
Material reference standards is a quality control step guaranteeing medications — along with their individual ingredients — meet USP testing requirements.
Monographs address quality expectations — content uniformity, identity and strength — for medicines and medical products. These written directives are required by the FDA to ensure all quality standards are met or exceeded.
Components of a monograph
Here’s a more detailed look at the components of a monograph:
Identity: A medicine’s label means nothing if no quality control exists. USP monographs demand the ingredients and substances within the medication are what is claimed on the medicine’s packaging per the Food and Drug Administration’s approval.
Strength: A bottle of prescription medication has a small range of variability for each tablet within each bottle. USP regulations test for those narrow ranges to verify the medication meets the FDA’s guidelines.
Purity: Some medications allow impurities in small amounts, when applicable. USP monographs explain the amount of those impurities, along with how they were measured and tested.
Performance: Extensive laboratory testing on how a medication affects the human body is written on this section of the USP monograph.
Meeting or exceeding the monograph expectations grants the medication USP approval once the facility’s medication is approved by the FDA.
Examples of USP tests
USP testing encompasses many aspects of medicine, from machinery to medications. Many of these tests are not necessarily a huge part of Bell Chem’s daily routine. However, several are vital for USP-worthy products. For instance, as a test for uniformity of nutritional and dietary supplements, many of Bell Chem’s products fall under the category USP 2021/2022. The testing includes checking the total number of oxygen-dependent bacteria in supplements.
Bell Chem is your 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 calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or send us an online message.
The Significance of Safety Data Sheets and Understanding Chemical Labels
Every time you open a chemical from Bell Chem – or any other industrial chemical supplier – you are sure to see a Safety Data Sheet (SDS). These sheets are mandated by Hazard Communication Standard regulations. Most consumers simply toss these away before exploring their chemicals, but the insertion of Safety Data Sheets is vitally important for the safety and health of those interacting with chemicals. Learn how to properly read and utilize Safety Data Sheets with this simple guide.
Every SDS you pick up will contain the same 16 sections in the same order for you to quickly discern which area you need to access. Chemicals are often dangerous, and you do not want to waste precious time searching for the solution for a spill within the entire document. Familiarize yourself with each section to ensure you can act quickly.
These are the 16 sections you’ll find in the document:
Identification: gives the chemical name and manufacturer.
Hazard identification: highlights hazard classifications for each chemical, pictograms for hazards, and precautions.
Composition/information on ingredients: gives the chemical’s concentration, chemical abstracts service to allow a compendium of aliases for each chemical, and compound/mixture information.
First aid measures: gives a step-by-step guide for symptoms and effects as well as immediate medical treatment.
Fire-fighting measures: explains the equipment necessary to quell a fire caused by this chemical and provides information on the proper personal equipment to employ.
Accidental release measures: shows how to contain a small or large spill or leak.
Handling and storage: explains how to properly store chemicals and how they should be manipulated.
Exposure controls and personal protection: provides exposure limits and threshold values; it also recommends proper personal protective equipment (PPE) for each chemical.
Physical and chemical properties: gives physical and chemical characteristics such as odor, solubility, melting and boiling points, flammability, and more.
Stability and reactivity: includes how stable the chemical is under normal conditions along with how it will react when conditions are not normal. It also punctuates in which manner chemicals should not be handled.
Toxicological information: explains both short- and long-term inhalation effects.
Ecological information: focuses on how the chemical affects the environment.
Disposal consideration: tells how to safely dispose of the chemical.
Transport information: gives the proper shipping name, transport hazard class, and safe-handling practices while in transit.
Regulatory information is specific health, safety, and environmental regulations.
Other information: tacks on the date the SDS was prepared and when information is updated.
Learning these categories enables your employees to quickly peruse SDSs either online or in your SDS book in case of emergency. Keep your employees and their surroundings safe. Learn to properly read your SDSs and train your employees to recognize the importance of these safety sheets. It could mean the difference between a minor accident and a major emergency.
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 calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or send us an online message.
Guar Gum in Cosmetic and Hair Care Products
Guar gum (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) is not a gum or sap at all; instead, it is the seed from the guar plant. Guar gum is an elongated, fibrous chain of bonded carbohydrate molecules composed of galactose and mannose.
Guar gum – also referred to as guaran – is renowned for its viscosity and many manufacturers use it for its binding and thickening ability. Personal care raw ingredient supplier Bell Chem wants you to learn how to incorporate guar gum into your cosmetic and hair care products.
Guar gum in hair care products
The thickening power of guar gum is evident in hair care products. Guar gum thoroughly coats individual hairs in a transparent sheen, leaving a fuller, silkier appearance. This coating serves a second function: it strengthens the hair and protects it from breakage and split ends. Exposure to sun and wind can dry hair, but guar gum protects hair by sealing in moisture. In winter’s dry months, guar gum also protects against frizzy and staticy hair. Unmanageable hair is tamed with guar gum.
Guar gum in cosmetics
Another property in guar gum is its ability to suspend other particles within a mixture, giving a similar amount of each ingredient with every use, such as in toothpaste. Toothpaste tubes generally have little residue once they are used because guar gum resists adherence to the inside of the tube as it aids in easing paste out in measured doses. Add to this guar gum’s natural whitening power, it is no wonder so many manufacturers add guar gum to their toothpastes.
When mixed with either hot or cold water, guar gum powder bonds with water molecules to form a versatile paste. Depending on the use, guar gum can be mixed with a small amount of water for a viscous mixture, such as a face mask, or with a larger amount of water, such as in a shampoo.
As a skincare ingredient, guar gum seals in moisture and allows skin cells to link closely together. In shaving creams and gels, guar gum decreases friction, giving a smoother, closer shave. It also acts as a surfactant in soaps and shaving creams, producing suds for a better clean as it whisks away debris and grime.
Guar gum goodness
With the push for natural, organic ingredients, guar gum is a star contender. Its gentle formula is hypoallergenic and gentle enough for almost any use.
Need more convincing? Guar gum is also reported to extend the shelf life of the products in which it is an ingredient.
Bell Chem is a personal care raw ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including guar gum. 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 Preservatives in Personal Care Products
When most consumers think of preservatives, their mind wanders to packaged foods, not personal care products. Why would manufacturers add preservatives to skin care? Bell Chem, your personal care ingredient supplier, wishes to share information on the uses and reasons preservatives are a vital ingredient in the majority of personal care products.
Why do personal care products need preservatives?
Water-based products have an Achilles’ heel. Kept in a room-temperature environment in a stagnant container, water-borne bacteria, fungi, mold, and other microorganisms quickly multiply. Think about where you use the majority of your personal care products – the steamy, damp bathroom. This exacerbates an already perilous situation. The answer is preservatives to stanch the microbial growth. Knowing this, the only personal care products exempt from the necessity of preservatives are anhydrous products. Even these are not entirely safe since water can be introduced via wet hands or a steamy bathroom, which invites bacterial growth.
Over time, many ingredients within products begin to break down, which can diminish the usefulness of a product. Preservatives act to stabilize those ingredients, which enhances the product’s ability to last a longer amount of time.
What’s in a name?
Recently many consumers have opted out of products containing a long list of chemical-sounding ingredients, and sometimes preservatives are those very words. However, not all preservatives are artificial. Take, for instance, honey. This innocuous ingredient is a preservative since it extends shelf life of products as it deters microbial growth.
Natural preservatives
Glycerin, essential oils, and alcohols are all considered natural preservatives. Their advantages are abundant – they can be used by most of the population, including young children and older adults, and deliver peace of mind to the end user. However, they may alter a product’s smell or performance and increase the cost of production since often up to 30% of the product could consist of preservatives. This cost is passed on to the consumer as a higher price than chemical preservatives.
Chemical preservatives
Noted for their ease of production, chemical preservatives keep products free of contaminants even in your bathroom. These preservatives are stable, predictable, sanitary, and have been tested thoroughly to allay most allergic reactions. Benzyl alcohol, ethylene glycol, and potassium sorbate are all examples of chemical preservatives you can trust.
Bell Chem is your personal care ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including preservatives for personal care 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.
Types of Food Additives Needed in a Wholesale Bakery
Bakeries may rely on many of the same additives as other food industries, but several are specific to baking. You can find the majority of these additives in the warehouse of your food ingredient supplier, Bell Chem. Below is a sampling of the most prevalent bakery food additives.
Artificial sweeteners
With the push toward weight loss, many bakeries offer low-sugar or no-sugar products, which require artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose. These artificial sweeteners give the same flavor as full-sugar products without an influx of calories.
Emulsifiers
Many baked goods contain water (or a liquid containing a large percentage of water) and oil. Under normal circumstances these two liquids are immiscible. Adding an emulsifier such as carrageenan, a di- or mono-glyceride, or lecithin, quickly combines these within the other ingredients by breaking the surface tension of the liquid ingredients, creating a mixture with improved texture.
Enzymes
Amylase, lipase, and protease are all enzymes that break complex carbohydrates into simple sugars, which expedites the fermentation process while baking. As enzymes break down carbohydrates, the remaining simple sugars feed yeast, an extremely important ingredient in the majority of baked goods. Yeast gives bread the light, fluffy texture and tantalizing odor commonly associated with baked goods.
Food colorings and flavorings
From titanium dioxide to salt, the appearance and taste of baked goods is vitally important. While many colors and flavors were originally natural, many are now produced artificially at a more economical price. Another consideration is the addition of on-trend ingredients, such as caffeine or vitamins, which may impact the overall flavor of baked goods. Flavor enhancers such as bitter blockers and flavor extenders, maskers, and potentiators can recall the original flavor while maintaining the on-trend ingredients.
Preservatives
As the name suggests, preservatives such as calcium and sodium propionate, potassium sorbate, and potassium and sodium benzoate prolong shelf life of baked goods by creating an unstable environment for microorganisms.
For more information on baked goods additives, visit Bell Chem’s News page.
Bell Chem is your food ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including bakery 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.
Safflower Oil Uses Across Industries
Safflower has been a crop for humans longer than almost any other. Initially, safflower’s petals were used as a dye (its Latin name is Carthamus tinctoris), but the oil is today’s safflower star attraction. Bell Chem, your food ingredient supplier, has information pertaining to safflower oil in more than foods, though. This versatile oil has uses across industries.
Food manufacturing
Many salad oils, cooking oils, and margarines rely on safflower oil since it has a neutral taste and a pale yellow coloring that does not detract from the overall color of the products in which it is an ingredient. Chefs appreciate its high smoke point, which gives it use in deep frying where other oils fail.
Cosmetic industry
Safflower oil works extremely well as a moisturizer, with natural vitamin E acting as an antioxidant to protect the surface of the skin from cell-damaging free radicals. In hair care products, lotions, and creams, safflower oil helps maintain elasticity in skin and impedes inflammation with its Omega-6 fatty acid content and tocopherols.
Pharmaceutical uses of safflower
Safflower oil contains an important compound known as conjugated linoleic acid, which may have a role in both weight management and the reduction of adipose. Safflower oil is naturally low in saturated fat and abundant in mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids, specifically the Omega-6 fatty acid linoleic acid. Its moisturizing properties, including the highly beneficial tocopherol, give safflower oil uses for patients with acne.
Industrial uses
Many oils can be used as the basis of paints, but safflower oil’s ability to maintain a clear, protective coating without yellowing over time gives it top billing. Safflower oil also dries quickly, which is perfect for varnishes and paints.
Petroleum replacement?
In Australia, a private company has created a super-high oleic (SHO) safflower oil with 92% oleic acid. With this level of purity, the product could revolutionize many industries since it creates a superior lubricant with reduced friction, low emissions, and a recyclability for reuse. This SHO safflower oil has the potential to be used in specialty chemicals, fuels, lubricants, and plastics.
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 safflower oil. 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.
Chemicals Needed to Clean a Wholesale Bakery
Working in a bakery is more than deeply inhaling fresh bread odors all day. Creating wholesale products for consumers often requires sticky bread dough, sugary icings, and combinations of flavorings – all of which can feed armies of hidden microorganisms. As a chemical supplier, Bell Chem has a thorough understanding of a bakery’s chemical needs, and works to ensure these products can be delivered to you in record time.
One-step cleaners and sanitizers
Industry demands a vigorous approach to cleaning, degreasing, and sanitizing. One-step cleaners may not be a solution for baked-on dough or greasy surface, but their day-to-day use is vital.
Alkaline detergent cleaners
Baking is a sticky situation, literally. Bread hooks covered in dough will harden if not cleaned immediately, and surfaces suffer the same fate. Machinery can gum up quickly unless the proper cleaner is used. Alkaline detergent cleaners are available in foams to cling to uneven surfaces, or sprays for flat, easy-to-reach countertops. The most common everyday cleanser is chlorinated alkaline detergent. Baked-in or carbonized carbohydrates may require a stronger alkaline cleaner.
Solvent-Containing Detergents
Solvents are excellent for quickly eliminating liquid and solid lipid-based spills. Lipids include grease and fat, which are not easily cleaned with water since water and oil do not mix. Acetone and toluene are great solvent-containing detergents.
Enzyme-Based Detergents
Some cleaning surfaces can deteriorate when strong oxidizers or heavy-duty alkaline cleaners are used frequently. Those instances might call for enzyme-based detergents, which easily remove biofilms that cause microbiological contamination. Enzyme-based detergents are not only easy on machinery, they are also safer for the individuals coming into contact with them.
Hypochlorous Acid Solutions
Hypochlorous acid effectively deters pathogens over time – microbes are simply unable to develop a defensive strategy to overcome this heavy-duty bleach.
Degreasers
Any industry where grease is present can experience buildup and possible damage to equipment. Choose a concentrated degreaser to remove buildup and a diluted solution to maintain your equipment. Remember, grease splatters out of its intended container onto counters, walls, floors, and any other nearby area, which means degreasers are utilized far more often than you may anticipate.
Personal Sanitation
Even the most carefully maintained bakeries may suffer from contamination if the workers do not properly clean and sanitize their clothes and themselves. Implement a hand sanitizing system and ensure it is followed. Install hand sanitizing stations at key locations. Keeping clean rooms properly ventilated will also prevent microbes from entering unintentionally.
Bell Chem is a chemical supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including chemicals specific for bakery uses. 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.