Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Inhibiting chemical or physical change of food by contact...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-09
2003-09-16
Bhat, Nina (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Inhibiting chemical or physical change of food by contact...
C426S534000, C426S590000, C426S654000, C426S549000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06620445
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates in general to acidulants for use in foods, and in particular to the use of alkali metal bisulfates as acidulants in foods.
Acidulants are acids which are added to foods to provide a variety of functions. The major functions are: to enhance the flavor of the foods by imparting a tart, sour taste; to lower pH, thus preventing the growth of bacteria which cause spoilage and food poisoning; and to chelate metal ions such as iron and copper which catalyze rancidity reactions in fats. Commonly used acidulants are citric, acetic, fumaric, ascorbic, propionic, lactic, adipic, malic, sorbic, phosphoric and:tartaric acids. Most of the acidulants are organic acids.
The known acidulants are not always totally satisfactory. For example, the organic acids are relatively weak, so that a relatively large amount of the acid must be used in the food to achieve the desired effect. This can undesirably increase the cost of the food, and can present other disadvantages. Some of the acidulants, such as citric acid and malic acid, are relatively expensive to begin with. Some acidulants are not very soluble in foods. Other acidulants are difficult to handle during food processing because of their corrosive nature. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide new acidulants for use in foods as an attractive alternative to the known acidulants.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method for providing an acidulant effect in a food. The method comprises preparing a food including an alkali metal bisulfate in an amount effective to act as an acidulant in the food, and further including moisture in an amount effective to dissolve the alkali metal bisulfate. In a preferred embodiment, the method comprises preparing a leavened baked good including alkali metal bisulfate as an acidulant in the leavening system. The leavening system includes a baking carbonate and an alkali metal bisulfate in an amount effective to react with the baking carbonate to release carbon dioxide to leaven the baked good. Preferably, the alkali metal bisulfate is included in an amount within a range of from about 0.1% to about 1.0% by weight of the baked good. When used in the leavening system of a baked good, preferably the alkali metal bisulfate is finely ground so that the particles have an average diameter within a range of from about 0.03 millimeter to about 0.2 millimeter. The invention also relates to a food composition including alkali metal bisulfate in an amount effective to act as an acidulant in the food, and further including moisture in an amount effective to dissolve the alkali metal bisulfate.
It was not previously thought to use alkali metal bisulfates as acidulants in foods. Previously, alkali metal bisulfates were used mainly in industrial chemicals and cleaners, in metal finishing, and in other uses much different from acidulants in foods. Alkali metal bisulfates do not come to mind when a person thinks of acids for addition to foods. They do not have an “acid” handle on them. They are not considered in the same class of products as the known acidulants. The majority of the known acidulants are organic acids, which are common ingredients in foods, and which are often naturally occurring in foods. Alkali metal bisulfates are not organic acids. Prior to this invention, sodium bisulfate had not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in foods. Further, it was not evident that alkali metal bisulfates would be desirable for use as acidulants in foods. It is believed that alkali metal bisulfates are the first totally new acidulants in 20 years.
Various objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The alkali metal bisulfates for use as acidulants in foods according to this invention include sodium bisulfate, potassium bisulfate, and mixtures thereof. The sodium bisulfate is a sodium salt of sulfuric acid generally expressed as NaHSO
4
(CAS Reg. No. 7681-38-1). A preferred sodium bisulfate product is manufactured by Jones-Hamilton Co., 30354 Tracy Road, Walbridge, Ohio 43465. The Jones-Hamilton sodium bisulfate is a dry product comprising crystalline solid particles. The particles have a spherical shape with an average diameter within a range from about 0.03 millimeter to about 1 millimeter. The product is hygroscopic and is readily soluble in water. The product can be safely handled without harm to the skin. It is significantly less expensive than many of the known acidulants.
The Jones-Hamilton sodium bisulfate is also preferred because it is a high quality product with low impurity levels. The product includes sodium bisulfate in an amount within a range of from about 91.5% to about 95.5% by weight (typically about 93%), and sodium sulfate in an amount within a range of from about 4.5% to about 8.5% by weight (typically about 7%). If the product contained less sodium bisulfate, it would not be as effective in lowering pH and imparting a sour flavor to the foods. If the product contained more sodium bisulfate, it could be too tacky and clump up because free sulfuric acid would be present. If this occurred, the product would not flow well, and it would be poorly suited for use in foods such as dry mixes. (In determining the percentage of alkali metal bisulfate in foods according to the invention, only the actual amount of alkali metal bisulfate in the product is included in the calculation, while other materials such as alkali metal sulfate are ignored in the calculation.)
The Jones-Hamilton product is also low in impurities, containing less than 0.003% heavy metals (typically less than 0.0004%), less than about 0.05% water insoluble substances (typically about 0.001%), and less than 0.003% selenium (all measured by weight percent). If the product contained more heavy metals, it could raise concerns about toxicity. If the product contained more water insoluble substances (e.g., specks of dust and other contaminants), it could have an undesirable appearance in foods such as beverages. The product has a moisture content (measured by loss on drying) of less than 0.8% (typically about 0.2%). If the product had a higher moisture content, it could be unsuitable for use in a food such as a dry mix (e.g., a cake mix or a dry beverage mix). The product might not mix well with the other dry ingredients, and the high moisture could cause the sodium bisulfate to become acidic and react prematurely with the other ingredients.
The low impurities and low moisture content of the Jones-Hamilton sodium bisulfate allow it to meet Food Chemicals Codex specifications. The Food and Drug Administration recently issued a letter in which it did not question the conclusion that Jones-Hamilton's sodium bisulfate is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) as an acidulant in foods. It is believed that previous commercial sodium bisulfate products had too many impurities to meet the Food Chemicals Codex specifications. Of course, the present invention is not limited to the use of the Jones-Hamilton sodium bisulfate, but rather it includes any alkali metal bisulfate product suitable for use in foods.
The potassium bisulfate is a potassium salt of sulfuric acid generally expressed as KHSO
4
(CAS Reg. No. 7646-93-7).
Advantageously, the use of alkali metal bisulfates as acidulants in foods provides a happy medium between the use of organic acids typically used as acidulants, and the use of common inorganic acids such as sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid. Typical organic acids are weakly acidic, having a pK
a
of about 3-4. Sodium bisulfate is more strongly acidic than most organic acids, having a pK
a
of 1.9. As a result, significantly less sodium bisulfate is needed than organic acid to provide a desired pH lowering and/or sour taste. However, sodium bisulfate is weakly acidic compared to the common inorganic acids, such as sulfiric acid and hydrochloric acid. The common inorganic acids, having a pK
a
Jones-Hamilton Co.
MacMillan Sobanski & Todd LLC
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