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Soy Monique Day Soy Monique Day

How Soy Lecithin Enhances Beauty Products

Soy lecithin is renowned for its benefits in skincare. This beauty aid’s name (lecithin) is derived from the Greek work lekythos, or egg yolk since French chemist Theodore Gobley first isolated it in 1845 from egg yolk. Soybeans are the major contributor of lecithin, which is why the two words are paired frequently. Chemically, soy lecithin closely resembles the body’s natural phospholipid cellular membrane, so it readily established itself as a natural form of cellular repair. Learn more about personal care ingredient supplier Bell Chem’s soy lecithin below. 

Lecithin is composed primarily of Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids (60%-70%) with a smattering of proteins and carbohydrates – the three major components needed by the human body. This unique combination easily transitions from the epidermis to deep within the skin where it metabolizes a reaction to form new skin cells. Here are some of the roles it plays in beauty products:

Antioxidant

By protecting epidermal and dermal cells from oxidation, soy lecithin enhances and increases cell life spans due to its stores of vitamin E. This leads to soy lecithin being a key ingredient in primer and foundations, face cleansers and masks, body lotions, and lip glosses and balms to soothe irritated skin and lips. 

Emulsifier

By acting as a stabilizer within an environment of oil and water, soy lecithin binds these two opposing types of molecules together to create a product with equal amounts of ingredients with each use. 

Humectant

Soy lecithin’s humectant capabilities maintain hydration in skin cells, which preserves the integrity of skin cells and aids in creating a stronger physical barrier between the body and the atmosphere.

Hydrator

Dehydration can give skin a dull, cracked appearance and cause itching and soreness. Overall, the skin appears uneven in tone and the face’s complexion may appear dull. Acting as a hydration agent, soy lecithin prevents water loss to the epidermal and dermal cells, plumping the cells and restoring an even skin tone with fewer flakes, fine lines, and wrinkles.

Moisturizer

Soy lecithin delays or even counteracts water loss to the environment since it contains both oleic and linoleic acid, which adhere to water molecules. This maintains a healthier level of moisture within the skin. This excess moisture acts as an emollient, softening and smoothing the skin’s surface and beneath by binding with the body’s natural skin protein, keratin.

Nail Care

Dry, brittle nails break and crack, causing undue pain. Soy lecithin’s moisturizing action helps nails retain their structural integrity.

Viscosity Agent

The bonding action of soy lecithin creates a thicker, creamier product for skin care consumers.

Bell Chem is a personal care ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including soy lecithin. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

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Beta Carotene Monique Day Beta Carotene Monique Day

Beta Carotene in the Food Industry

Beta carotenes are renowned for their antioxidant qualities since they are a great source of vitamin A. Beta carotene is considered provitamin A with the capacity of being enzymatically converted to retinol. This important nutrient, stocked by food ingredient supplier Bell Chem, will boost your products and attract more customers.

Where Beta Carotene Comes From

Beta carotene abounds in intensely colored fruits and vegetables, including carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli, and cantaloupe. As a general rule, the fruits and vegetables with the brightest colors contain the greatest amounts of beta carotene. However, only 2% of beta carotene on the market today is produced naturally. Instead, chemists rely on bacteria, filamentous fungi, microalgae, and yeasts to provide the world with its need for beta carotene.

As a Colorant

In the food industry, beta carotene has played a variety of roles. One of these is as a colorant. The obvious example is a carrot, whose orange flesh is the result of an increased amount of beta carotene. The yellowish orange pigment of beta carotene is utilized frequently as a colorant for margarine and butter, oils, cheese and ice cream, pasta and biscuits, milk replacement products, soups, and eggs, to name a few examples. By changing the amount of beta carotene used, color variations from light yellow to red are achieved, depending on the product

As a Nutritional Supplement

Along with being a natural colorant, beta carotene also has nutritional supplemental properties. Add beta carotene as an antioxidant since the human body is not capable of synthesizing this important nutrient itself; it must rely on supplements or natural foods. In fact, the vitamin A in beta carotene supports eye health by preventing blindness and night blindness, maintaining specific cells in the eye, improving reproductive efficiency, and maintaining skin hue as a natural pigment. 

Bell Chem is a food ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including beta carotene. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

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Zinc Monique Day Zinc Monique Day

Zinc Oxide Uses Across Industries

Organic compound zinc oxide (ZnO) is an odorless, gray or white granular solid. While it is insoluble in water, it is readily soluble in both diluted acids and bases. Commercially, zinc oxide is created through high temperature oxidation of zinc or zinc ores. Bell Chem, your USP ingredient supplier, supplies high-quality zinc oxide for its customers, no matter their industry. 

Ceramic

The low expansion coefficient of zinc oxide makes it ideal for ceramic manufacturing since it improves ceramic elasticity. In lesser amounts, zinc oxide gives a glossy appearance to ceramics, while greater amounts will show as a matte finish. Use of zinc oxide is more abundant in the ceramic industry than any other industry outside rubber.

Concrete

Zinc oxide’s low expansion coefficient increases the resistance of concrete to water. This binding mechanism allays damage with water infiltrate during temperature fluctuations. Zinc oxide displays high thermal conductivity and stability, similar to the ceramic industry. For this reason, zinc oxide is added to quick-setting cement. 

Cosmetics

Along with its starring role in sunscreen, zinc oxide is often added to a wide array of cosmetics to enhance the capacity of the application to adhere to the skin. It also has proven to be both antibacterial and antifungal by destroying the cellular membranes of single-celled organisms.

Glass and Textiles

As an ingredient in pigments, which are used within many textiles, zinc oxide offers a crisp white pigment. When matched with aluminum or gallium, zinc oxide provides sun blocking properties for window coatings. 

Pharmaceutical

Zinc oxide is a proven physical sunscreen and skin protectant to deter everything from ultraviolet rays to common microbes from penetrating the skin. Acne medicines, diaper rash ointments, and sunscreens all contain zinc oxide. The amount of sun protective factor (SPF) is based primarily on the percentage of zinc oxide in a sunscreen. If sunburn does occur, zinc oxide reduces the amount of irritation. In fact, zinc builds damaged skin cells, reduces inflammation, and tightens the epidermis.

Rubber

Approximately half of all zinc oxide manufactured is dedicated to the rubber industry to assist in rubber vulcanization, thereby improving the elasticity, strength, and weather resistance of rubber. Therefore, shoes, tires, and even hockey pucks contain zinc oxide.

Semiconductors

Zinc oxide’s heat capacity and thermal conductivity mark it as a desirable semiconductor, especially in dye-sensitive solar cells. 

Water Treatment
The antibacterial and antifungal components of zinc oxide clear water as it eliminates reactive oxygen species. 

Available in almost any configuration: gel, spray, powder, paste, et cetera, zinc oxide is sure to enhance your industry. Bell Chem is a USP ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including zinc oxide. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

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Salt (Sodium Chloride) Monique Day Salt (Sodium Chloride) Monique Day

The Industrial Applications of Salt

The ubiquitous shaker next to pepper contains sodium chloride, which adds flavor to your next meal. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg of what salt can do. Food ingredient supplier Bell Chem wishes to share the myriad industrial uses of industrial salt, from gas exploration to water treatment. 

Cleaning and Safety

As far as chemicals go, salt is about as versatile as it gets. Here are a few of the ways salt is used to promote cleaning and safety across industries: 

  • Detergents: Soaps, detergents, and solvents contain salt as a filler. When several chemicals are present, salt separates the chemicals so they can perform their specific tasks.

  • Chlorine production: Sodium chloride’s main industrial use is in the production of chlorine, a feedstock for plastics and other chemicals.

  • Pool maintenance: Pools and spas are more frequently being outfitted with saltwater systems, which gives the same water sanitation as chlorine while reducing chlorine levels. 

  • Water treatment: Salt flocculates calcium and magnesium, which softens water.

  • Road maintenance: Industrial salt is an inexpensive method for controlling ice or melting ice on roads since it lowers water’s freezing point. As roads are maintained or constructed, salt added to soil binds it more tightly for a firmer surface. 

  • Food and beverage: In processed meats, salt enriches color, controls bacterial growth, binds sausage, and softens meat. For breads and dairy products, salt coordinates fermentation rates and enhances flavor. Flour contains salt to strengthen gluten and heighten flavor. 

Manufacturing

Salt tends to show up in unexpected places — even heavy manufacturing. Here are several ways salt is used in manufacturing: 

  • Metallurgy: Metal processing creates abundant impurities. Salt removes the impurities during refining or smelting of aluminum, beryllium, copper, steel, vanadium, and uranium. 

  • Pharmaceuticals: Saline solution obviously contains salt, but so do capsules. Intravenous fluids flowing into the human body often attempt to match the body’s content of saline for ease of dispersal; equalizing IV fluids with normal human saline levels accomplishes this task. 

  • Chemicals: As a feedstock, industrial salt eventually becomes caustic soda, soda ash, sodium sulfate, sodium carbonate, hydrochloric acid, sodium bicarbonate, and chlorine, to name a few.

  • Oil and gas drilling: Salt increases the density of drilling fluids and soil, which increases safety during the drilling process. Salt behaves as both a coolant and lubricant for the drilling head. Industrial salt also expedites concrete drying and acts as a flocculant to remove impurities. 

  • Rubber synthesizing: In combination with sulfuric acid and water, industrial salt coagulates latex, thereby separating rubber from latex, to create neoprene and white rubber. 

  • Textiles: In a solution with water, salt flocculates contaminants to cleanse and purify textile fibers. Industrial salt increases the uptake of dyes, acts as a filler for pigments, and is used as a grinding agent. Salt is used in the production of glass and polyester. 

  • Solar power: Industrial salt acts as a catalyst for many ionic reactions in the production of solar energy. 

  • Tanning: Salt reduces moisture and bacteria in the leather working process. 

Bell Chem is a food ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including industrial salt. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

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Aluminum Monique Day Aluminum Monique Day

How Aluminum Sulfate is Used

Aluminum sulfate (Al2(SO4)3), a compound of aluminum, oxygen, and sulfur, usually presents as a powdery, granular, or crystalline solid and is known commercially as “alum.” Tracing back its history, aluminum sulfate was present when Egyptians found it useful for dyeing textiles. Since then, dozens of other uses have broadened the scope of aluminum sulfate’s commercial use. Bell Chem, your industrial chemical supplier, wants you to recognize the importance of aluminum sulfate.

Textile Processing

One benefit of using aluminum sulfate is its versatility in the production of textiles. Here are a few examples of ways aluminum sulfate helps with textile processing:

Tanning

Animal hides transform into leather when a combination of aluminum sulfate, sodium chloride, sodium carbonate, and flour are rubbed into the hide repeatedly. 

Dyeing

When water is combined with aluminum sulfate, the resulting sludge of aluminum hydroxide acts as a mordant: it causes dyes to absorb into textiles much more rapidly. As a bonus, adding aluminum sulfate during the dyeing process causes textiles to become water insoluble, or colorfast, meaning that the colors will not bleed or seep with excess washings. 

Paper Manufacturing

Aluminum sulfate removes impurities in water during pulp making. Its pH neutralizes ionic charges, aids in binding materials, and, when combined with rosin soap, changes paper absorbency to create a product more likely to absorb ink.

Safety and Filtration

Aluminum sulfate doesn’t just aid in the manufacturing of useful everyday products; it can also help make us safer. Here are a few safety uses for the chemical:

Wastewater Treatment

Aluminum sulfate’s largest use is in water treatment plants, where it acts as a flocculant. As impurities clump, they descend to the base of the container and are filtered out. 

Fire Control

Aluminum sulfate, combined with sodium bicarbonate and a foam stabilizer, produces carbon dioxide in fire extinguishing foams. 

Lawn and Garden Care

The pH of aluminum sulfate acts as a detriment to algal growth; therefore, it is often utilized in freshwater recreation areas. In commercial gardens where soil pH levels are basic, adding aluminum sulfate increases pH to levels more conducive to the growth of the majority of plants. 

Food and Drug Manufacturing

Aluminum sulfate has many uses across industries, but the ones that affect us the most day-to-day are those in the food and medical fields. Here are several examples of ways aluminum sulfate is used in food and drug manufacturing: 

Food and Beverage Industry

Water-soluble aluminum sulfate is frequently used by commercial kitchens as a thickener and emulsifier. Carbonated beverages enjoy the addition of aluminum sulfate for remineralization and clarity. As a main component of baking soda and baking powder, aluminum sulfate is renowned for its ability to leaven breads and baked goods. Aluminum sulfate, as a thickening agent, helps to curdle many types of cheese. 

Medical Field

Small abrasions and skin lacerations are quickly remedied with a styptic pencil, which is generally a form of aluminum sulfate. It also has deodorizing properties since its low pH stanches bacterial growth. In a solution, aluminum sulfate precipitates protein antigens; in turn, these antigens improve vaccine immunity. Aluminum sulfate is also an ingredient in ear drops.

Bell Chem is an industrial chemical supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including aluminum sulfate. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

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Ester Monique Day Ester Monique Day

Where Dibasic Ester May Be a Safer Alternative

Dibasic ester – also referred to as DBE, dimethyl ester, or DME – is often understood to be a better, safer alternative than other solvents. Bell Chem, your industrial chemical supplier, explains why your company should invest in clear, colorless, low-odor dibasic esters for your solvent needs.

Low Vapor Pressure and High Flash Point

Dibasic esters have an extremely slow evaporation rate, which complies with volatile organic compounds (VOC) regulations. This feature allows dibasic esters the ability to be recycled for multiple applications. Dibasic ester is also much less likely than other chemicals to combust. Less flammability equates to a safer product.

Biodegradable

The environment is a foremost concern for many companies. Knowing DBE biodegrades into environmentally friendly by-products while remaining cost-effective helps solidify its place in many forward-thinking businesses. 

Health

DME is not only environmentally friendly; it is people friendly. Dibasic ester is considered non-carcinogenic, non-corrosive, and non-hazardous. It is also on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) list of safer chemicals

Varied Formulations

Dimethyl ester combines several chemicals, namely dimethyl adipate, dimethyl glutarate, and dimethyl succinate. Depending on your application, these ingredients can be manipulated for the perfect custom blend for your use. For example, it can be used as a solvent with a strong capacity to strip paint with a slower evaporation rate than other chemicals. Some formulations can also be greener than others.

Uses of Dibasic Ester

Dibasic esters have the ability to dissolve polar substances (such as polyester, resins and polyurethane), inks, and coatings. A few examples of products containing DBEs are insecticides and pesticides, automotive coatings, paints, epoxy sealers, cleaners, corrosion inhibitors, drilling fluids, and soil stabilizers. Almost any other solvent can be substituted with a dibasic ester.

If your company is in the market for a solvent that’s friendly to the environment, equipment, and your workforce, dibasic ester is your answer. If your company wants a solvent to dissolve hardened residues, form a coalescent, dissolve at different rates, and create plasticizers for polymer systems such as PVC with ease, your answer, once again, is dibasic ester.

Bell Chem is an industrial chemical supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including dibasic ester. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.


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Phosphoric Acid Monique Day Phosphoric Acid Monique Day

The Many Ways Phosphoric Acid is Used in Food Production

Phosphoric acid, also known as orthophosphoric acid, is a weak acid with a sour flavor but no odor or color. It is viscous when sold in liquid form and crystalline as a solid. Although it is sought after in many industries, phosphoric acid has a variety of uses in food and beverage production. Bell Chem, your food ingredient supplier, shares many methods phosphoric acid improves the foods we consume.

Improves Food Quality

As a weak acid, phosphoric acid is often added to amend pH levels to improve product properties. It also makes products last longer. Bacteria and mold thrive in sugary foods and beverages. Phosphoric acid inhibits microbial growth, which increases shelf life. When added to processed meat (luncheon meats, sausage, bacon, et cetera), phosphoric acid stabilizes the texture of processed meats and increases shelf life.

Additive

A list of ingredients on a package may show dicalcium phosphate, hexametaphosphate, sodium phosphate, or tricalcium phosphate. All these additives are derived from phosphoric acid plus other chemicals or ingredients.

Flavor Enhancer

In dark carbonated beverages (clear sodas tend to rely on citric acid) and jams, phosphoric acid accentuates a product’s sharp, tangy taste because of its acidity and fruity flavor. 

Nutrient

Phosphoric acid acts as a food source for yeast, and is often employed as an ingredient to leaven baked goods. Baking soda plus phosphoric acid and a second acid create baking powder. This nutrient is also helpful in alcoholic beverages. As wine is aged, phosphoric acid feeds yeast as it quells bacterial growth.

Protein Modifier

Especially in dairy products, phosphoric acid salts chemically modifies the protein structure increasing the likelihood of coagulation. Examples include cream cheese, hard cheese and buttermilk. The cheese industry has determined that phosphoric acid outstrips most other acids in its ability to firm hard cheeses. This additive is also used in foods and beverages touting high protein levels, which generally contain whey, a basic chemical. As a weak acid, phosphoric acid balances the pH of the product while enhancing flavor.

Bell Chem is your food ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including phosphoric acid. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.


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USP Ingredients Monique Day USP Ingredients Monique Day

What is a USP Ingredient?

Many ingredients can be used in manufacturing or cleaning products without the USP (United States Pharmacopeia) seal. Prescription medications, however, must carry a USP seal. The difference between these categories is simple: any product meeting USP standards has specific evidence of purity, quality, and strength and is generally related to fields of medicine and pharmaceuticals, food ingredients, and supplements. Learn more about Bell Chem’s line of USP ingredients and their stringent quality guidelines.

Graded on Quality

Ingredients and chemicals added to products are graded on their purity, efficacy, and quality. Those meeting USP standards are of the highest quality grade. These standards were established in 1820 with the advent of the first United States Pharmacopeia published as a reference guide for pharmacists to create preparations of the United States’ most commonly utilized prescription drugs. 

The USP merged with the National Formulary and Drug Standards Laboratory (NF) 155 years later. While prescription drugs must meet USP standards, many other industries (researchers, laboratories, food manufacturers) recognize extremely pure ingredients as necessary for their consumers since less pure substances may lead to incorrect data, poor reactions, or health concerns. 

Laws Related to USP Ingredients

In 1906, the Pure Food and Drug Act defined drugs as “all medicines and preparations recognized in the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) or National Formulary (NF),” a definition that bound prescriptions to USP ingredients. At that time, the prestige of adding “USP” to a prescription drug gave it a seal of purity. Today, all prescription drugs must meet USP standards, and oftentimes manufacturers no longer bother to add these distinguished letters to their packaging since it is redundant.

Exceptions for Supplements

The 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act was enacted to allow citizens access to natural health remedies. However, USP standards are merely voluntary for dietary supplements. Typically, lettered vitamins (B, C, and D, for instance) and minerals (iron, zinc, et cetera) meet strict USP guidelines. Other supplements may meet these standards, or simply meet the standards of the individual manufacturer. The USP Dietary Supplement Verification Program (DSVP) gives manufacturers the quality USP Verified Mark, which provides consumers and professionals confidence that the product within is stringently manufactured.  

Bell Chem is a USP ingredients supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.


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Sanitation Monique Day Sanitation Monique Day

Sanitation Products Used in the Food Industry

Sanitizing seems straightforward within the food industry: sanitize surfaces to keep them safe. But what is the definition of “sanitized”? What is considered “safe”? Sanitation chemical supplier Bell Chem wants to shed light on these very important questions to allow our customers the safest route to protect themselves and their customers.

What Most People Know

COVID-19 has caused the majority of people to understand the difference between “washing” and “sanitizing,” especially as these terms relate to hands. Can sanitizing only occur with alcohol in a bottle, though? No. A surface is sanitized when cleaning kills 99% of microbial life considered harmful, the product remains stable under normal conditions, is not considered toxic, and can be used on food and the surfaces food comes into contact with. 

Differences Between Sanitizers

Surprisingly, hand sanitizers and surface sanitizers have different base ingredients: hand sanitizers are primarily alcohol based, and non-alcohol hand sanitizers contain chlorine. Surface sanitizers, however, contain chlorine, quaternary ammonium, or iodine as their primary sanitizing ingredient. 

 

Types of Surface Sanitizers

Chlorine

The most recognizable surface sanitizer is chlorine because of its effectiveness in breaking down microbial membranes, oxidizing proteins, and disturbing the metabolic processes of organisms. Chlorine has the added benefit of being inexpensive. Examples include chlorine dioxide and hypochlorides.

Quaternary Ammonium

Quaternary ammonium compounds are positively charged ions in the form of a surfactant, which naturally finds negatively-charged proteins — such as those in bacteria, viruses, yeasts, mold or other enveloped microbes — and denatures proteins as it breaks the electron transport chain in cellular respiration. Quaternary ammonium compounds are stable, much friendlier to skin than chlorine, and non-corrosive.

Iodine

Iodine converts to iodide in the presence of bacteria or other microbes. In this form, it denatures proteins and disrupts the transport of electrons responsible for cellular respiration, much like quaternary ammonium compounds. Iodine is very effective, but it may stain plastic surfaces and is more expensive than other sanitizers.

How to Choose a Sanitizer

The type of sanitizer you choose will be based on information more than simply price, though. The amount of time the product is in contact with the surface, whether the sanitizer contains cleaners and detergents, the shape of the surface, the concentration of the sanitizer, and the overall temperature of the cleaner or surface all have to be considered. Contact the knowledgeable staff at Bell Chem to discuss the best sanitizer option for your organization. 

Bell Chem is a sanitation chemical supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including CSANTM sanitation products. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.


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Malic Acid Monique Day Malic Acid Monique Day

Benefits of Using Malic Acid in Food Production

Bite into a tart apple, and the flavor you perceive is most likely malic acid. As a matter of fact, chemist Antoine Lavoisier named this product acide malique — malique being the French derivation of Latin’s “malum” (apple) — because of its similarity to a sour apple flavor. This organic, dicarboxylic acid with molecular formula C4H6O5 is created by all living organisms and presents as a white, crystalline grain or powder when processed. 

Advantages Over Other Acids

Bell Chem, your industrial chemical supplier, stocks malic acid as an ingredient in foods and beverages, where it is renowned not only for its lingering sour or tart flavor, but also as an acid, a pH controller, and a preservative. When compared to other organic acids, malic acid proves to have myriad advantages. Here are a few:

  • The melting point is lower to incorporate high-temperature confections, which defers the addition of water. In many foods, excess water increases the moisture level, leading to a contracted shelf life.  

  • The sour tanginess increases at lower pH levels. Acidic foods with malic acid will have a more pungent tang. 

  • It dissolves more rapidly, making it highly prized in powdered mixes. 

  • The solubility of products containing malic acid increases. 

  • Colors in foods and beverages are more uniform when malic acid is an ingredient. 

  • Metal ions easily chelate with malic acid, removing them from foods and beverages.

Taste Advantages

Much like salt, malic acid intensifies flavor, which manufacturers find advantageous since it means fewer flavorings are necessary. This also leads to its addition to low-calorie products since less sugar is necessary for the same taste. Malic acid also melds different flavors within one product to create a more rounded taste experience; this leads to its inclusion into savory products such as spicy foods, cheeses, and coatings for snack crackers and chips. While some confections or salty snacks leave an overly memorable aftertaste, malic acid masks that flavor for a more pleasant experience.

Working with Other Acids

In sour candies and gums, many acids work together to increase the longevity of flavor. Initially, citric acid is enjoyed as a sour flavor before malic acid makes its appearance to continue where citric acid ended. Finally, fumaric acid sustains the tart flavor. Blending multiple acids known for their tart flavors allows for a pleasant, long-lasting taste experience.

Foods that Contain Malic Acid

Malic acid abounds in a wide variety of foods and beverages, including carbonated beverages, canned and fresh fruits and vegetables, jams and jellies, dairy products, fruit and sports drinks, sweeteners, oils and oil emulsions, meat and fish, cereal, egg products, and packaged foods and desserts. 

Bell Chem is a sanitation chemical supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including malic acid. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.


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