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The acidity regulator and preservative “sodium acetates” has received the code designation E262 in the industry. It is an inexpensive, safe additive for humans and the environment, and is used not only in food production, but has a much wider range of applications. Housewives at home can independently get this substance by preparing the dough for baking – it is given by soda slaked with vinegar. If the resulting solution is evaporated and crystallized, you get a kind of homemade analogue of the food preservative E262. For industrial purposes, it is mined in other ways.
Characteristics of the chemical properties and method of obtaining additives E262
By their structure, sodium acetates are salts of acetic acid, since it is from this raw material that it is obtained: sodium carbonates or hydroxides are reacted with acid. Oddly enough, part of the production of the substance is associated with the distillation and processing of wood.
The additive is in the form of a crystalline powder, which has a slight smell of vinegar. It may have a whitish, light yellow or brown tint. The substance is highly soluble in water, worse – in alcohols and ether. In addition, it is non-flammable.
The main properties of sodium acetates, for which it is so valued by industrialists, is the ability to regulate the level of acidity of the chemical environment, conservation and stabilization of substances. The additive helps to preserve the shape and texture of products, their taste and aroma characteristics, and can improve the consistency of raw materials.
Few supplements can boast that they are found in nature. Just sodium acetates can: they exist as an element of animal and plant cells, as a component of acids in fruits, and are present in fermented milk products as a result of bacterial fermentation.
Areas of application of the substance by man
There are several types of sodium acetates: technical and food. The first variety is used in the production of chemical heaters and heaters, as an integral part of the “hot ice” mixture. In the field of construction, sodium acetates provide an antifreeze effect for concrete and are used in the construction of monolithic structures.
The textile industry uses the substance for dyeing fabrics and tanning leather. The additive is also used in the field of photography and electroplating, in the production of coloring products, hygiene products, and in the chemical industry.
According to its structure, technical sodium acetate is a trihydrate of the sodium salt of acetic acid, which has the form of flakes or pieces of various shapes.
In general, two types of additive E262 are familiar to a person:
- sodium acetate E262i;
- sodium diacetate E262ii.
Substances have different chemical formulas, but differ little from each other in their properties.
In food production, sodium acetate has found its use, mainly in such foods:
- in bakery products (to protect raw materials from “potato disease” bacteria);
- in canned vegetables and fruits (to improve the taste of the product);
- in potato chips (to give them a more pleasant taste and aroma).
In the medical industry, the additive is used in the manufacture of diuretics and other medicines.
Requirements for the packaging of additive E262
In any type of packaging, there must be an additional lining made of dense food-grade polyethylene inside. Since the substance is very susceptible to reaction with water, the container is usually marked “Keep away from moisture”.
Most often, sodium acetates are stored and transported in food bags made of fabric (in such bags you can usually see flour and cereals). Corrugated cardboard boxes or multilayer paper bags, barrels, containers are also used for these purposes.
Impact on human health
According to various sources, the harm from the use of products with sodium acetates in the composition ranges from an extremely insignificant level to an average level.
Today, the additive is officially allowed in the USA, Canada, the European Union, Ukraine, Russia, and Australia. There is no official data on the possible connection between its use and the appearance of cancer, gene mutations, infertility, poisoning, at least when consumed in the quantities in which the substance is used in food products.
There have been several cases of an allergic reaction in people who are allergic to vinegar.
Those who have problems with the functioning of the autonomic system, gallbladder, intestines, in particular, dysbacteriosis, liver, kidneys, cardiovascular system, it is better to refrain from eating food with an additive in the composition.
Exceeding the normal daily dosage of sodium acetate for an adult can result in some unpleasant symptoms: headache and dizziness, lack of coordination, pain and cramps in the abdomen, convulsions, suffocation, discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes to paler.
According to some unconfirmed reports, the substance still has the properties of a carcinogen due to the fact that in the intestines it turns into nitrates, which can provoke the appearance of malignant tumors, or at least a powerful allergy. Official confirmation of this information was not provided to the world community, therefore sodium acetates are not recognized as an oncogenic or dangerous additive.
Some experts advise limiting the intake of the substance into the child’s body so as not to cause an allergy in him.
Sodium acetate is considered a harmless substance, and has a wide range of uses, from the manufacture of leather goods to the preparation of potato chips. It has pronounced properties of a preservative and stabilizer, but differs from other preservatives in that it does not inhibit the growth and development of bacteria, and acts as an enzyme formed during the life of these bacteria in substances.
There are some restrictions on the use of products with a substance in the composition for allergy sufferers, children and people with disorders in the functioning of internal organs.
The processes of research into the effect of sodium acetates on humans are still ongoing, but so far, due to the absence of a significant negative effect on the body of a healthy person, the world community has not established the daily intake of the E262 supplement.