What is the role of acid flavoring agents in food production?

Acid flavoring agents are a large class of food additives that can give food a sour taste, divided into organic acid flavoring agents and inorganic acid flavoring agents. Organic acidity agents commonly used in food production are citric acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid, gluconic acid, etc.; commonly used inorganic acidity agents are phosphoric acid, etc. The acidity of the acid flavoring agent is the sensation produced by the hydrogen ions dissociated in the solution stimulating the taste nerve. Acid sensation has a lot to do with the characteristics of acidic groups, pH, titration acidity, buffering effect, and the presence or absence of other compounds. For example, at the same pH, organic acids are more acidic than inorganic acids. In food production, acid flavoring agents can not only present a sour taste but also have a variety of roles such as taste adjustment, antiseptic and antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-discoloration, etc. The following are the details of the role of acid flavoring agents in food production.

Here is the content list:

l Give food different acidity style

l Adjust the taste of food

l Adjusting pH

Give food different acidity style

Various acid flavoring agents due to the different chemical structures will produce different acidity, acidity acuity, and taste speed, and give the food a different acidity style. Citric acid produces a pleasant and refreshing acidity, but the taste disappears quickly; malic acid produces a slightly bitter acidity, and its acidity is slower to produce and disappear than citric acid; tartaric acid has a weak astringency and a strong fruit flavor, especially in grape products can produce a "natural acidity" feeling; phosphoric acid has a weak astringency and a strong fruit flavor. Phosphoric acid has a weak astringent taste, especially in cola-type beverage products that can provide a unique sour taste.

Adjust the taste of food

Acid flavoring agents used in conjunction with other flavoring agents can adjust the taste of food. Adding a small amount of acid to sweet substances reduces the sweetness; adding sweet substances to acid reduces the acidity; different fruits have different perceptions of sweetness and acidity due to their different sugar-to-acid ratios. Even if the sour taste is composed of the same acid, the sour taste characteristics are different due to the different sugar-acid ratios. If a small amount of salt is added to the sour taste, the sour taste is weakened; however, if a small amount of acid is added to the salt, the salty taste is enhanced. A small amount of bitter or astringent substances in the acid will enhance the acidity. The right amount of bitterness and sourness together can make the flavor of lemons, grapes and other fruits to be truly expressed. The correct use of acidic substances can better reflect the flavor of food.

Adjusting pH

The use of an acid flavoring agent to adjust the pH can also achieve the purpose of inhibiting the reproduction of microorganisms. For example, in canned fruits and vegetables of medium acidity such as peaches, using acid to lower their pH to below 4.5 can reduce the sterilization temperature, time, and other conditions, and can prevent the growth of toxin-producing bacteria such as Clostridium botulinum. At the same time, acidification is also conducive to the dissociation of preservatives such as benzoic acid, thereby improving the effect of bacterial inhibition.

As can be seen, an acid flavoring agent is an essential food additive. Flexible, scientific use of acid flavoring agent, not only can play a flavoring role, so that food products with the best flavor and taste, but also to improve the sterilization conditions, in the food production process plays an indispensable and unique role.

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