Contents
One of the synthetic food additives with antioxidant properties is meta-tartaric acid, marked with the E353 index. Even its artificial origin has not prevented it from gaining its place in various areas of our lives, and now it is widely used as an antioxidant, preservative and antioxidant in many industries.
Brief description of the antioxidant E353
Other names for this substance are: metatartaric acid, E353, Metatartaric acid. It looks like small crystals of white or yellowish-white color. This substance has a high hygroscopicity and is highly soluble in water. At the same time, it is rather poorly soluble in ethyl alcohol and completely insoluble in oily and fatty liquids.
The main source for obtaining such a food additive is natural tartaric acid, which is heated to about two hundred degrees Celsius for this. After, when the heated acid cools down, the process of grinding it is started, as a result of which a substance with the marking E353 is formed. By the way, various impurities are often formed during the production process, the most common of which are monomers, as well as oligomers of natural tartaric acid.
The use of antioxidant E353
The main scope of its application is winemaking, where it shows its qualities, preventing the formation and loss of cream of tartar. Also, meta-tartaric acid contributes to greater transparency of the wine, reducing the risk of cloudiness, and significantly improves the taste of the product.
This substance is also used in other areas of the food industry. In the USSR, for example, it was often used to make grape juice. In general, it contributes to the best preservation of finished products, an increase in their shelf life, and prevents spoilage.
Meta-tartaric acid is used to strengthen polymers during their manufacture and to normalize fuels.
Dangerous and useful properties of food additive E353
There is no need to talk about any significant benefit to the body when using this product. But it’s worth talking about the possible harm. The fact is that products obtained by chemical means usually contain various kinds of impurities that are unsafe for the body. Meta-tartaric acid is just a synthetic product that includes some impurities in its composition.
In this regard, you should not use products containing the food supplement E353 for children until they reach at least five years of age, and do not use it for people who have individual intolerance to the components and are prone to allergies.
In addition, you should be aware that meta-tartaric acid is not completely eliminated from the body. Some of it is excreted through the urinary system in a natural way, but the vast majority of the substance settles in the intestines.
In addition, this product should not be abused. The recommended maximum daily dose is thirty milligrams of the substance for every kilogram of body weight.
Be that as it may, meta-tartaric acid is allowed for use in almost all countries of the world community, including Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
In conclusion
Meta-tartaric acid is a chemically synthesized food additive with the E353 index. It has the properties of an antioxidant, antioxidant and preservative, thanks to which it has found application in some areas of the food industry, especially well established itself in winemaking.
The chemical product does not bring any benefit to the body, but its overdose in the body can result in negative health consequences. Especially when you consider the fact that the lion’s share of it settles in the intestines and is not excreted from the human body.