Post Date: 10,JAN,2022

The molecular formula of sodium gluconate is C6H11O7Na and the molecular weight is 218.14. In the food industry, sodium gluconate as a food additive, can give food sour taste, enhance the taste of food, prevent protein denaturation, improve the bad bitterness and astringency, and replace salt to obtain low sodium, sodium free food. At present, the research of sodium gluconate for domestic workers mainly focuses on the maturation of production and preparation technology and the reduction of production cost. According to the different uses of food, it can be divided into the following categories:

1. Sodium gluconate regulates the acidity of food:

Adding acids to foods enhances food safety, as acids are the primary form of protection against microbial contamination in refrigerated foods, while using acids in combination with high temperature or hydrostatic pressure treatments reduces energy consumption and thus costs. However, the addition of acids to food or beverage formulations often reduces palatability because of the high acidity, which limits the food industry’s ability to better utilize acids as preservatives by combining sodium gluconate into a sodium-salt mixture and acting separately on citric acid. Lactic acid and malic acid, the sodium gluconate mixture was found to have moderate inhibition on the acidity of citric acid and malic acid, but almost no effect on the acidity of lactic acid.

2. Sodium gluconate is used in food industry instead of salt:

Compared with the commonly used low sodium salt, sodium gluconate has little difference in taste, but it has the advantages of no irritation, no bitterness and astringency, and has become a substitute for salt in practical application. At present, it is mainly used in the food field, such as salt-free products and bread. It is reported that using sodium gluconate instead of salt in bread fermentation can not only ferment low sodium bread, but also achieve salt reduction without affecting the overall flavor.

3. Sodium gluconate improves food flavor:

The report shows that adding a certain amount of sodium gluconate in the process of meat processing can better improve the smell of soybean in soybean products. In the process of seafood processing, a certain amount of sodium gluconate is usually added to reduce the smell of fish and improve food appetite, and compared with the traditional way of covering, the cost is lower.

4. Sodium gluconate can improve food quality:

As a new food additive, sodium gluconate not only improves the flavor of food, but also enhances the nutritional characteristics of food. Compared with many food additives on the market, its non-toxic harmlessness has become its biggest bright spot. Inhibition of sodium gluconate as lactate crystal in Cheddar cheese showed that sodium gluconate could increase the solubility of calcium lactate, regulate the pH value of Cheddar cheese, and prevent the formation of calcium lactate crystal, which not only guaranteed its nutrition, but also improved the quality of Cheddar cheese.Sodium gluconate also has inhibitory effect on protein denaturation and myofibrin dissolution. When sodium gluconate is added to surimi, the gel strength of gels after heating is significantly higher than that without sodium gluconate, so sodium gluconate can improve the quality of surimi products.