The use of food additives has become more and more widespread in processed and convenience foods. Processed foods, such as oyster sauce, soy sauce, and fish sauce, are made with preservatives added to inhibit microbial growth, maintain nutritional value and other properties, thereby extending food shelf life. However, illegally added and excessively added preservatives put consumers at risk of allergic reactions and chronic poisoning.
Industrially produced sodium propionate is obtained by neutralizing propionic acid solution with sodium hydroxide or sodium carbonate. Colorless and transparent crystals, granules or crystalline powder, odorless or slightly odor of propionic acid, stable to light and heat, easily deliquescent, easily soluble in water, soluble in ethanol. The solubility in 10% water is about 100 (15°C), and the pH is 8.5 to 10.5. It has a wide range of antibacterial effects on mold, yeast and bacteria. It is the most active in acidic pH. It is used as a food preservative and is suitable for cakes. It is used as a preservative and as an anti-mold agent for bread, and sodium propionate is almost non-toxic to the human body.
Sodium propionate is prepared by neutralizing propionic acid with sodium hydroxide or sodium carbonate. Propionic acid reacts with sodium hydroxide or sodium carbonate until the pH value is neutral to obtain a sodium propionate solution, which is decolorized, filtered, concentrated under reduced pressure, cooled and filtered, sprayed and dried to obtain the finished product. Although the ability of sodium propionate to inhibit mold is lower than that of calcium propionate, it does not affect the effect of chemical leavening agents, so sodium propionate is more widely used in food such as bread than calcium propionate. Calcium propionate has good water solubility and is more convenient to use.
Sodium propionate is a permitted food preservative, used in cakes, soy products, etc.; it can be used alone or in combination with propionic acid and sorbic acid; it can also be used as a viscous inhibitor for beer, etc.; feed additives, etc. Appearance is colorless transparent crystal or granular crystalline powder, odorless or slightly odor of acetic acid-propionic acid-butyric acid. Stable to light and heat, easily deliquescent in humid air.
Sodium propionate is an acidic preservative, which has a good effect on anti-fungal. The anti-corrosion effect is mainly undissociated propionic acid, so it should be used in the acidic range. If used for bread fermentation, it can inhibit the growth of miscellaneous bacteria and prevent mildew in cheese products. However, it has less inhibitory effect on bacteria, such as Bacillus subtilis, Sarcinus, Proteus and other bacilli, which can only delay their development for 5 days, which has no effect on yeast.
