Calcium chloride is composed of calcium and chloride elements. It helps prevent foods, especially canned ones, from becoming soft when placed on shelves in the store.
types of calcium chloride
Dihydrate
you’ll find it in the market, used for dust control and deicing
Anhydrous
used as a drying agent for liquids and gases, drawing up to six times moisture
Calcium chloride in food
Calcium chloride is useful in foods for many and different reasons. It does much more than serving as a firming agent. Here are 7 of its uses in our world today:
For making cheese
1.
Calcium chloride is used in making cheese, as it adds the clumping together of the cheese batch, keeps it stable and helps in regulating the separation of curds and whey.
For brewing beer
2.
If you’re a brewer, you’ll probably be more familiar with calcium chloride. It is one of the many brewing salts brewers add to beer to affect its type and quality.
Spheres
3.
When mixed with sodium alginate, it makes liquids come together to form little semi-solid spheres, which are useful for making fake caviar and many other novelty foods.
For preserving fresh vegetables
4.
Calcium chloride helps reduce their respiratory strength and delay the loss of Vitamin C. It also helps in enhancing nutritional calcium levels and reducing decay.
preserving fresh vegetables
5.
Calcium chloride can be used as a replacement for sodium chloride for pickling brine. It works best in adding salty tastes to pickles and the intake of sodium.
purifying bottled water
6.
Calcium chloride imparts a sweet, salty and clean taste to purified water that would probably taste dull after distillation and helps to prevent overhydration.
low sodium food
7.
Calcium chloride is similar to table salt. But instead of sodium, it contains calcium. All the more reason that you can use the ingredient in food with low sodium requirements.
other uses
Tenderize meat
Coagulation in tofu making
Ice cream refrigeration
Wheat flour protein stability
Preserve texture and color
Calcium supplement
Reduce acrylamide formation in potato chips
FAQ
Is calcium chloride food safe?
Most definitely!
Is calcium chloride vegan?
Yes, it is vegan.
Is calcium chloride dairy-free?
CaCI2 is dairy-free.
Is calcium chloride natural?
It is natural.
Calcium chloride serves many purposes, from beer brewing and fresh vegetable preservation to cheese making and brine prickling. What's more, it causes little or no harm to the environment.