ANTI-CAKING AGENT
An anti-caking agent is an additive placed in powdered or granulated materials, such as table salt, to prevent the formation of lumps and for easing packaging, transport, and consumption.
Anticaking agents function either by adsorbing excess moisture, or by coating particles and making them water repellent. Some anticaking agents are soluble in water; others are soluble in alcohols or other organic solvents. Calcium silicate (CaSiO3), a common anti-caking agent which is added to table salt etc. adsorbs both water and oil. Although they are food additives, anti-caking agents have other applications too. For example, anticaking agents are popularly used in non-food items like road salt, fertilizers, cosmetics, synthetic detergents, and in other such manufacturing applications.
An anti-caking agent in salt is denoted in the ingredients, for example, as “anti-caking agent (554)”, which is sodium aluminosilicate, a man-made product. This product is present in many commercial table salts as well as dried milks, egg mixes, sugar products, and flours. In Europe, sodium ferrocyanide (535) and potassium ferrocyanide (536) are more common anti-caking agents in table salt. Natural anticaking agents used in more expensive table salt include calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate.
Some anti-caking agents are soluble in water; others are soluble in alcohols or other organic solvents. They function either by adsorbing excess moisture, or by coating particles and making them water repellent. Calcium silicate (CaSiO3), a commonly used anti-caking agent, added to e.g. table salt, absorbs both water and oil.
Anti-caking agents are also used in non-food items such as road salt, fertilizers,cosmetics,synthetic detergents, and in manufacturing applications.
Examples of Anti Caking Agents Food
Some of the common examples of foods that contain anti-caking agents include:
- Vending machine powders (coffee, cocoa, soup)
- Milk and cream powders
- Grated cheese
- Icing sugar
- Baking powder
- Cake mixes
- Instant soup powders
- Drinking chocolate
- Table salt
Function of anti-caking agents
Is created by coating particles and making them water repellent. Some anticaking agents are soluble in water; others are soluble in alcohols or other organic solvents. Calcium silicate (CaSiO3), a common anti-caking agent which is added to table salt etc. adsorbs both water and oil. Although they are food additives, anti-caking agents have other applications too. For example, anticaking agents are popularly used in non-food items like road salt, fertilizers, cosmetics, synthetic detergents, and in other such manufacturing applications.
Anticaking Agent
- E500 – Sodium carbonate
- E510E341 – Tricalcium Phosphate
- E501 – Potassium carbonate
- E503 – Ammonium carbonate
- E504 – Magnesium carbonate
- E507 – Hydrochloric acid
- E508 – Potassium chloride
- E509 – Calcium chloride
- E510 – Ammonium chloride
- E511 – Magnesium chloride
- E512 – Stannous chloride
- E513 – Sulphuric acid
- E514 – Sodium sulphates
- E515 – Potassium sulphate
- E516 – Calcium sulphate
- E517 – Ammonium sulphate
- E518 – Magnesium sulphate, Epsom salts
- E519 – Copper sulphate
- E520 – Aluminium sulphate
- E521 – Aluminium sodium sulphate
- E522 – Aluminium potassium sulphate
- E523 – Aluminium ammonium sulphate
- E524 – Sodium hydroxide
- E525 – Potassium hydroxide
- E526 – Calcium hydroxide
- E527 – Ammonium hydroxide
- E528 – Magnesium hydroxide
- E529 – Calcium oxide
- E530 – Magnesium oxide
- E535 – Sodium ferrocyanide
- E536 – Potassium ferrocyanide
- E538 – Calcium ferrocyanide
- E540 – Dicalcium diphosphate
- E541 – Sodium aluminium phosphate
- E542 – Bone phosphate, edible bone phosphate (derived from steaming animal bones and used as anti-caking agent, emulsifier and source of phosphorous in food supplements.)
- E550 – Sodium silicate
- E551 – Silicon dioxide
- E552 – Calcium silicate
- E553(a) – (i) Magnesium silicate and (ii) magnesium trisilicate
- E553(b) – Talc
- E554 – Sodium aluminium silicate
- E555 – Potassium aluminium silicate (Produced from several natural minerals.)
- E556 – Aluminium calcium silicate (Produced from several natural minerals.)
- E558 – Bentonite (A natural type of clay from volcanic origin. It is a decolorising agent, filter medium, emulsifier and anti-caking agent. Bentonite is used in pharmaceutical agents for external use, edible fats and oils, sugar, wine.)
- E559 – Kaolin
- E570 – Stearic acid
- E572 – Magnesium stearate, calcium stearate
- E574 – Gluconic acid
- E575 – Glucono delta-lactone
- E576 – Sodium gluconate
- E577 – Potassium gluconate
- E578 – Calcium gluconate
- E579 – Ferrous gluconate
- E585 – Ferrous lactate
- E900 – Polydimethylsiloxane
calcium silicate
Description: the chemical compound Ca2SiO4, also known as calcium orthosilicate and sometimes formulated 2CaO.SiO2.
Magnesium Stearate
Description: also called octadecanoic acid, magnesium salt, is a white substance which is solid at room temperature. It has the chemical formula Mg(C18H35O2)2.
sodium aluminosilicate
Description: an acid salt comprising sodium, aluminium, silicon and oxygen. These include synthetic amorphous sodium aluminosilicate, a few naturally occurring minerals and synthetic zeolites. Synthetic amorphous sodium aluminosilicate is widely used as a food additive, E-554.
talc
calcium stearate
Description: Calcium stearate is carboxylate of calcium that is found in some lubricants and surfactants. It is a white waxy powder.
potassium stearate
Description: Potassium stearate is anion type surface active agent,which widly applied in acrylate rubber soap/sulfur and vulcanized system.
silicon dioxide
Description: an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula SiO2. It has been known for its hardness since ancient times. Silica is most commonly found in nature as sand or quartz, as well as in the cell walls of diatoms.