Calcium Chloride Food Grade (E509)

Calcium Chloride

Calcium chloride is manufactured by neutralizing hydrochloric acid with calcium hydroxide or limestone digestion followed by evaporation/crystallization, used as a firming agent, sequestrant/preservative, coagulant, stabilizer, and flavor enhancer (INS 509) that strengthens cell walls/proteins, controls microbial growth through water activity reduction, and provides calcium nutrition with salty mouthfeel enhancement. In the food industry, food-grade forms excel at texture retention in canned goods, cheese yield improvement, and low-sodium salt replacement.

Food Industry Applications

• Canned vegetables and fruits: Firming agent in tomatoes, pickles, green beans, peaches, and olives preventing softening during heat processing, sequestrant reduces enzymatic breakdown and metal-catalyzed discoloration maintaining crunch and color for 12-18 months shelf life.

• Cheese and dairy production: Coagulant/stabilizer restores calcium balance in pasteurized milk improving curd firmness and yield (5-10% increase), prevents weak curds in mozzarella/cheddar, stabilizer prevents protein destabilization and oil separation in processed cheese.

• Beverages: Stabilizer adds electrolytes and mineral salinity to sports drinks, energy waters, and tomato juices mimicking saltiness without sodium, prevents fruit pulp sedimentation, thickener stabilizes fermented beverages during carbonation preventing haze formation.

• Meat products: Firming agent tenderizes through calcium-activated enzymes improving juiciness in injected poultry/ham, prevents purge loss and texture collapse in surimi/restructured products, enhances brine penetration as flavor enhancer in pickles/cured meats.

• Bakery and snacks: Stabilizer as dough conditioner strengthening gluten network for better oven spring and volume, calcium fortification in low-sodium crackers and breads, preservative aid reduces acrylamide formation in fried potato products.

Other Industry Applications

In agriculture, foliar spray prevents blossom-end rot in tomatoes/peppers, in concrete, accelerates curing in cold weather, in dust control, stabilizes unpaved roads, in refrigeration, produces ice for freeze concentration, in de-icing, melts snow/ice at -50°C.