News
How Different Oils are Used in the Food Industry
Many professional chefs and food industry experts recognize the importance of using a specific oil to bring out the best flavor in their foods. Bell Chem, your food ingredient supplier, has the inside scoop on how oils are utilized within the food industry.
CANOLA OIL
Manufacturers find canola oil is more often listed as an ingredient on packaged margarines and shortenings than any other oil. Look for canola oil in salad dressings and baked goods. Since it has a reputation as being heart healthy, many manufacturers reach for canola oil with the aim of enticing today’s more health-conscious consumer into purchasing their products. Engineered and primarily generated in Canada, it is the most popular oil utilized in Canada and the second most popular oil in the United States.
FLAXSEED OIL
A perennial with blue flowers, flaxseed grows in the Great Plains in North America and is one of the primary grains consumed by humanity throughout history. In modern times, flaxseed’s mild taste can be added to viscous beverages to add Omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and fiber. Add vinegar to flaxseed oil for a great salad dressing, or use flaxseed oil as a marinade while processing meat into sandwich ham or beef jerky.
SUNFLOWER OIL
The benefits of sunflower oil include a high smoke point, making it perfect for frying; an extended shelf life when added as an ingredient in foods compared to other oils; and a good base for salad dressings and marinades. Because sunflower oil is a monounsaturated fat, it is often added to high-protein foods, such as protein bars and meal replacement foods, to extend shelf life. Consumers appreciate sunflower oil’s heart healthy benefits due to its elevated amount of linoleic acid.
WHITE MINERAL OIL
Highly refined white mineral oil is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. Even better, it is antibacterial. Used in the process of frying foods, white mineral oil is also a component in the wrapping paper of perishable foods to keep them crisp. It also controls foaming during the production of vinegar.
White mineral oil also has uses outside of foods. The lubricant of choice in the food and beverage industry contains white mineral oil since it is compatible with greases and oils in machinery as well as food. White mineral oil has another important quality as well. It oxidizes very slowly, which makes it ideal for seasoning wood and metal cutting utensils and cutting boards.
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 a variety of high-quality food-grade oils. 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.
Understanding How Calcium Carbonate is Used in Water Purification
Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) is literally the backbone of so many living things on our planet since it is a main component of skeletal tissue, as well as the outer coverings of shellfish, pearls, eggshells and corals. How can this compound be used to purify water? Industrial chemical supplier Bell Chem is here to answer that question for you.
Defining calcium carbonate
Working under the pseudonyms calcite, chalk, dolomite, lime, ground limestone, or whiting, calcium carbonate is a component of all these minerals. It appears as a white solid, but can be ground to a powder or crystalline texture. It easily pulls water from the surrounding environment, which leaves this compound damp to the touch.
Calcium carbonate forms naturally and is often found in limestone aquifers and in desert climates. Calcium carbonate is generally considered water soluble.
Water treatment uses
In water treatment facilities, calcium carbonate is naturally basic and increases the alkalinity of water. Acidic waters, which are on the increase due to acid rain, are neutralized with the addition of calcium carbonate.
When combined with other chemicals to form calcium polysulphide or calcium hydroxide, these chemicals act as flocculants to adhere waste materials, creating a much heavier material that drifts to the bottom of tanks to be more easily removed.
If these compounds are considered toxic, calcium carbonate partially negates their toxicity. For instance, soft water more naturally contains more toxic levels of copper, lead, and zinc since soft water increases these metals’ solubility. The addition of calcium carbonate is renowned for its negative effects on these metals’ water corrosivity.
Any detergents or cleansing agents present in drinking water are cleansed with the addition of calcium carbonate, which stifles their efficiency.
Taste matters
Calcium carbonate predicts a water’s “softness” or “hardness,” and the addition of calcium carbonate gives water a more appealing flavor since people tend to prefer harder water.
Bell Chem is an industrial chemical supplier in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including calcium carbonate. 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.
Exploring the Types of Glycol Ether and Their Uses
Glycol ethers have a variety of uses across industries due to their far-reaching role as solvents. Industrial chemical supplier Bell Chem explains a few of their uses under the categories of “e-series” (ethylene oxide) and “p-series” (propylene oxide) formulations.
Ethylene Oxide Uses
Personal Care
In a process called ethoxylation, ethylene oxide creates more water soluble shampoos, conditioners, and body washes.
Textiles
For printing, leather, and other textiles, e-series glycol ether acts as a solvent or co-solvent for industrial and waterborne coating. It can be found in dyes, enamels, water-based paints, lacquers and inks.
Medical Industry
The addition of ethylene oxide during the manufacture of medicines strengthens the delivery of those medications to patients. The ability to sterilize medical equipment is foremost in hospital care. Approximately 50% of all ethylene oxide produced is specified for sterilization of medical devices.
Chemistry
Ethylene oxide functions as a chemical intermediate in synthesizing ethanolamines, glycol ethers, and surfactants. The end results are products such as antifreeze, de-icers, gas drying agents, lubricants, and polyester resins. Using ethylene oxide as a raw material also produces polyester, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) – the building block for plastic bottles.
Automotive
Antifreeze and de-icers in vehicles are formulated to work in temperature extremes. Adding ethylene oxide counters these temperature fluctuations so well it is used not only in land vehicles but in commercial airliners as a de-icing agent.
Propylene Oxide Uses
Cleaners
Coupling solvents increase the reaction of a chemical, and propylene oxide is one of those components helping hard surface cleaners and many other soap/hydrocarbon formulations work through the toughest grime.
Degreasers
Industrial settings find p-series glycol ether a proven solvent. Many specialty formulae rely on p-series glycol ether as an ingredient. Studies have proven propylene glycol is less irritating and cleans better than ethylene glycol; for this reason many manufacturers are choosing p-series formulations over e-series.
Polyurethane
As the main component of polyether polyols, propylene oxide’s foremost role is the manufacture of polyurethane.
Tree Nuts
Fumigating almond and pistachio orchards with propylene oxide prevents Salmonella contamination.
Bell Chem is an industrial chemical supplier in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including glycol ether. 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.
Benefits of Working with an Experienced Chemical Supplier
Shopping for a chemical supplier involves more than comparing prices. In today’s economy, it is vital to choose a supplier that will be able to overcome business issues that not all chemical suppliers can withstand. Bell Chem’s longevity proves that our status as the best chemical supplier in Longwood will not fade over time. Read more about the benefits of working with an experienced chemical supplier.
Relationships with Chemical Processors
Because Bell Chem has been in business for over 30 years, we have developed strong working relationships with a number of chemical processors and manufacturers to ensure a smooth supply chain for every one of your orders.
You can expect specialized pharmaceutical-grade nutritional and personal use ingredients to meet your customers’ needs, as well as technical-grade chemicals for the most heavily used areas in your manufacturing process. If you cannot find the specific chemical or ingredient you require, ask us; we customize compounds to guarantee the level of cleanliness you deserve.
Strategic Partnerships
We partner with Safe Chem to offer a broad range of CSANTM sanitation blends specifically formulated for the citrus industry, as well as the food and beverage industries. These partnerships and specialties require years of patient experimentation, which you only find with an experienced supplier.
Plenty of Inventory
Our extensive, amply stocked warehouse ensures your supplies are delivered quickly. Bell Chem’s fleet of trucks deliver daily to our local Florida businesses, and if your business requires out-of-state freight shipments, our location allows close proximity to shipping hubs by train, air, or cargo ship. Our partnerships with affiliate terminals expedite shipping to your location, no matter the distance. Studies have proven that consolidating suppliers allows corporations to streamline supply chain efficiency, reduce internal workloads, and decrease costs through lower shipping costs and better volume pricing.
Quality Assured
Time has also allowed us to perfect our quality assurance practices, and Bell Chem is registered with many regulatory authorities, which demonstrates the stringent standards we are able to meet or exceed in all our processing, from start to finish. This quality assurance guarantees the product you receive is the correct standard you requested. We meet the demands of the DEA, EPA, FDA, OSHA, and other regulatory giants. Bell Chem is regularly audited and verified compliant under the supervision of D. L. Newslow and Associates.
Bell Chem is your chemical supplier 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.
Understanding the Uses of Acids in Food Processing
For industries rooted in food preservation, the importance of acids cannot be overstated. However, acids easily find uses across food processing as well. Bell Chem, your food ingredient supplier, shares many of those functions along with why they are important to your processing operation.
Add Tartness
Acidic flavor enhancers and adjuvants are designed to add a “tang” or “tartness” to flavors without overpowering or changing the intended flavor. For this reason, a larger amount of citric acid or malic acid are regularly added to lemon-flavored candies and beverages while a much lower amount is necessary for strawberry flavoring.
Balance Powdered Mixes
While fumaric acid is utilized less frequently because of its extreme flavor, its inexpensive cost gives it a seat at the acid table. Fumaric acid is much less soluble than other acids, but is often found in powdered mixes.
Enhance Soda
While the preceding acids are easily transferred from one food or beverage to another, some acids are specific as ingredients. For instance, phosphoric acid is on the nutrition label of dark colas and tartaric acid is regularly added to grape-flavored foods and beverages.
Pickle Foods
Lactic acid finds uses in boiled sweet foods and in pickling. For baking, lactic acid acts as a feedstock for emulsifiers. In contrast, acetic acid’s uses focus on pickling. Many pressurized canned goods, such as jams, jellies, and gelatins necessitate specific pH ranges to ensure the proper viscosity and mouthfeel. In dairy products, the creation of curds relies on stringent pH ranges.
Sterilize and Stabilize
Acids are canning powerhouses, decreasing the energy needed to sterilize since low pH zones are unfriendly for microbial growth. This same function also inactivates enzymes that negatively affect canning sterilization. Salt and vinegar chips derive their flavor not from vinegar, but from acetic acid, which is more stable and offers the same flavor chip after chip.
Along with adding acids to foods and beverages, acids are ideal during aseptic processing and packaging, when both foods and containers are sterilized with acids, often in different formulations depending on the food and type of packaging.
Mask Other Flavors
Acids have another important role: masking the flavor of existing ingredients, specifically saccharine, where malic and citric acid remove saccharine’s unsatisfactory aftertaste.
Make Raw Foods Safe
Raw meats destined to be sushi may be marinated in diluted acetic acid, which defers bacteria infiltration as it denatures the proteins making up the meat, helping to change the mouthfeel without affecting the flavor.
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 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.
Sodium Benzoate as a Food Additive
Sodium benzoate, or benzoate of soda, is a common food preservative not found in nature. While benzoic acid naturally occurs in cranberries, cloves, cinnamon, apples, and tomatoes, for instance, the combination of sodium hydroxide and benzoic acid form sodium benzoate. The addition of this ingredient to foods and beverages enhances solvency. As a food ingredient supplier, Bell Chem recognizes the importance of sodium benzoate in the food and beverage industry and offers the following information on why you should invest in sodium benzoate as a food additive.
Inhibiting Growth
Sodium benzoate is both a bactericide and a fungicide, inhibiting growth of both classifications of microbes. Because it does not kill existing microbes, it is generally added after products have been sterilized or pasteurized. When added to processed foods, sodium benzoate extends shelf life.
Lowering Acidity
Acidic (low pH) environments benefit most from the addition of sodium benzoate as an additive. For this reason, it is often added to “tangy” products, such as lemon sodas, jarred pickles, soy sauce, and salad dressings.
Other Uses of Sodium Benzoate
While other food additives perform many of the above functions, sodium benzoate has other properties not common in almost any other product. It has been found to do the following:
Increase memory and mental cognition by enhancing the plasticity of synapses between areas of the brain;
Treat schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety, ALS, and Parkinson’s disease by curtailing D-amino acid oxidase (DAAO) effects on NMDA receptors, which are responsible for maintaining memory function in the brain; and
Lower cholesterol levels by decreasing inflammation. The decrease in inflammation is also responsible for sodium benzoate’s role in countering the effects of autoimmune disorders.
An ingredient that enhances not only food quality and shelf life, but potentially overall health, you can have it all by adding sodium benzoate to your products.
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 sodium benzoate. 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.
Propylene Glycol in the Medical Industry
When the body’s integumentary system is in such poor shape it necessitates medical attention, chances are high the medication prescribed by a physician contains propylene glycol as an ingredient. This mild, quickly absorbed water-soluble viscous alcohol rapidly soothes and protects skin to enhance healing. USP ingredient supplier Bell Chem ensures its inventory contains propylene glycol (CH3CH[OH]CH3OH) for its suppliers to manufacture the proper formulation of medications for their customers. Learn about its most prominent medical uses.
Radiation Therapy
Patients undergoing radiation therapy often develop topical partial thickness burns due to the intensity of treatment. Applying propylene glycol moisturizes the skin to ease the pain of the burns while its antibacterial properties stimulate healing.
Diaper Rash
Infants with diaper rash require a fast-acting ingredient to prevent chafing and further skin damage. Propylene glycol creates a barrier between the skin and bacteria as it expedites healing. Because it is considered biocompatible, discomfort is alleviated.
Intensive Care
Patients in intensive care may require intravenous doses of lorazepam, phenobarbital, nitroglycerine, diazepam or other strong medications. Propylene glycol as a diluent maintains a steady, proper dosage of these powerful medications.
How it Works
Propylene glycol is a versatile USP ingredient that works in a few different ways, serving several different purposes in the medical field. Here are some of the main roles it plays:
Topical silver sulfadiazine uses propylene glycol as an inactive ingredient to increase its overall coverage. Other gels and creams contain propylene glycol for this same function.
As an inactive ingredient, propylene glycol is also the go-to ingredient for many tablets and capsules to ensure proper dosage of medication over a specific time period.
As a solvent, propylene glycol dissolves solids into structures containing the same properties as the original product, only in small enough portions for the body’s cells and tissues to readily utilize.
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 propylene glycol. 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.
How Gums are Used in Personal Care Products
Gum in a personal care product? It seems contradictory – wouldn’t that solidify a free-flowing powder? However, a variety of gums are regularly added into personal care products. Learn how gums are valuable assets to skin care manufacturers and how you can benefit from one from the vast inventory of the personal care chemical supplier, Bell Chem.
Xanthan gum
In personal care products, xanthan gum reigns supreme as a multi-purpose tool. It improves the consistency of gels and serums and stabilizes oil and water combinations as an emulsifier. Because xanthan gum is extremely affordable and easy to source, many manufacturers turn to it before all other gums. Xanthan gum can be used in a wide pH range and is stable in cold- or hot-processed products. Xanthan gum works well with anionic and nonionic ingredients.
Locust bean gum
As the name describes, locust bean gum is harvested from plants and is therefore considered vegan. Added to creams, gels, and lotions for hair and skin, locust bean gum has a very good gelling capacity.
Guar gum
A thickener derived from the Cyamopsis tetragonolobus legume, guar gum hydrates in warm or cold water to produce a thick gel. Its consistency changes to stringy when used alone, but in conjunction with xanthan gum, the product becomes highly viscous. Since it does not carry a charge, guar gum can be used with ingredients of any ionic charge.
Arabic (acacia) gum
While arabic gum is not ideal as a thickener, it is an excellent stabilizer and emulsifier, interacting primarily with lipids. Its other positive attribute is the silky feel it imparts to skin products. For any products that change the skin’s color, arabic gum acts as a film that allows pigments within the foundation to adhere to the skin.
Tragacanth (trag) gum
Traditionally manufactured from the sap of plants, vegan tragacanth gum is used in shampoo, where it may promote hair growth. As an emulsifier, you often see tragacanth gum added to lotions and creams. When compared to arabic gum, only half the amount of tragacanth gum is necessary for similar results.
Bell Chem is a personal care chemical supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including triethanolamine. 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.
Triethanolamine Uses in Skin Care Products
In case you have not noted the ingredient “triethanolamine” on labels of skin care products in the past, Bell Chem, your trusted personal care chemical supplier, wishes to give you a little background information on this fantastic ingredient and how it can positively impact many of your skin care products. As a liquid, triethanolamine is clear, colorless, and viscous. It is considered a “non-active” ingredient since it does not impact the human body; however, it significantly changes the chemistry of the other chemicals it comes into contact with.
Emulsifier
Adding triethanolamine as an ingredient allows chemical bonds to change, which means fluids not easily mixed can be thoroughly processed into one main product. Thinking of an oil and water salad dressing, adding triethanolamine causes the immiscible ingredients to mix thoroughly and homogeneously without the need for shaking the container before every use.
pH adjuster
Triethanolamine has been found to work well with acidic compounds, bringing their pH down to a level safe for sensitive skin. However, it works in the opposite direction as well, stabilizing higher pH levels to more acceptable skin care levels.
Stabilizer
Creating a creamy texture for a shaving cream or gel that lasts every time it is used is difficult unless triethanolamine is present to stabilize the mixture to ensure its shelf life is extended.
Surfactant
Triethanolamine decreases a liquid’s surface tension, giving it the ability to blend more easily with another liquid, or even a solid or gas.
Thickener
When viscous triethanolamine is added to a product, it adds body and density to the formula’s feel. This factor solidifies triethanolamine’s inclusion in hand sanitizer, sunscreen, lotions, and ear drops to provide a better consistency.
Bell Chem is a personal care chemical supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including triethanolamine. 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.
How Creatine Monohydrate Can Up Your Supplement Game
After undertaking more than 2000 studies, creatine monohydrate has proven to be the top performance supplement for muscle endurance and body building training. Nutritional ingredient supplier Bell Chem has several facts about how creatine monohydrate can increase customer demand for your products.
Effectiveness
Creatine began almost in secret as a supplement for bodybuilders, but its effects reach far beyond muscle bulk. Athletes working on anaerobic as well as strength activities find creatine monohydrate improves their performance both on the field and at rest since it stimulates a faster recovery between workouts.
Safety
Compared to other supplements, creatine monohydrate has been shown to be harmless even after taking far more than the recommended daily dose of 3-5 grams for more than half a decade.
Non-steroidal
Creatine monohydrate is composed of amino acids: glycine, methionine, and arginine. Together these are a component of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is the ultimate form of explosive muscular energy. No steroids or stimulants are added.
Vegan-friendly
Because creatine is created within the human body from animal proteins, vegetarians may not have access to this important dietary component without the aid of a supplement. Creatine monohydrate answers this need to propel these athletes to greater heights.
Hydration
The “monohydrate” portion of its name gives every molecule of amino acids a molecule of water. This small dose of hydration stimulates protein synthesis, which builds muscles. Since 95% of creatine is stored in muscle tissue, the effects of added energy to those tissues are continuous.
Overall improvements
Athletes using creatine monohydrate note increases in muscle mass, power, and fatigue resistance. As muscles increase in size, they are able to take on more challenges, such as sprinting faster, hitting harder, or lifting heavier. Creatine monohydrate allows athletes to store more glycogen for use during an event, then reduce inflammation and cellular damage after the stress of competition.
Bell Chem is a nutritional ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including creatine monohydrate. 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.