Alginates
Alginates are algae that have undergone one or more chemical treatments and are finally in the form od d-manuronic acid or L-guluronic acid. Adding calciun chloride will make it possible to create calcium guluronate, manuronate.
These substances behave like a gel which will then be added to pepper pastes for making stuffed olives, puddings, jellies, etc.
Beer production
Calcium chloride plays several important roles in the production of beer, namely it:
- protects the enzymatic activity against temperature,
stimulates the proteases and amylases during the fermentation process:
protein+Ca2+ Û calcium proteinate + 2H+
- transforms the secondary alkaline phosphate into free hydrogen which gives a "more round" taste to beer.
Ca2+ + 2HPO4- Û Ca3(PO4)2 + 2H+
Particular feature: the risks linked to reactions between calcium chloride and carbonic gas present in beer in fermentation, which can lead to an excess of tartar.
3.5 meq Ca2+ Þ 1 ion H+
- participates in the burtonisation, i.e. reduction of pH by 0.1 unit by adding 250 g of CaCl2 per 100 kg of malt.
Beverage & soft drinks
For fruit juices, beverages and sweets, the most added mineral is calcium.
It is added because of its solubility, its taste, its bio-availability, and the commercial value of an eventual mention "enriched with calcium".
Dairy products & cheese
Calcium chloride is interesting because its use is legally authorised; its price, the great bio-availability of calcium, its very small alteration of the 'taste' profile of the foods it supplements. Finally, it can be added as such.
It is recommended to check the pH of milk when adding calcium chloride. More specifically, at a pH below 5.2, milk proteins coagulate. Beyond 7.5, the taste of milk is modified.
Cheese production is an enzymatic process in which casein or rennet (enzyme of a calf's stomach not yet weaned) is made to react with milk. Coagulation usually takes place at a temperature of about 30°C. Adding calcium chloride accelerates the phenomenon while econimising on the rennet content (more expensive than CaCl2 ).
Vegetable farming
When growing is too intensive, it can have a harmful influence on the quality of farm produce.
Certain diseases in vegetables and fruit have their origins in a poor mineral balance in the soil. Research has demonstrated the great importance of calcium in the quality of farm produce and in its ability to keep well.
By enriching the soil with calcium, CASO Calcium Chloride enables the natural barriers of plants to be reinforced against certain physiological disorders.
In the context of the European Directive 91/414/EEC active substances cannot be used in plant protection products unless they are included in a European positive list (Annex I to Directive 91/414/EEC) created on the basis of a safety evaluation regarding human health and the environment.
Calcium chloride is not included as active substance in Annex I and consequently Member Stetes should withdraw all authorisations for plant protection products from December 2007.
However, by way of derogation, calcium chloride may still be used until 30 June 2010 in Spain for treating apples and pears and also in The Netherland for treating Chicory roots.
Refrigeration
With its low freezing point, CASO Calcium Chloride is used in freezer plants.
Used in a solution of approximately 30%, it has a freezing point of –50°C and has thermal characteristics that make it the best freezing fluid on the market.
Remineralisation of water for human consumption
Calcium chloride is used in water treatment as a source of soluble calcium where its addition is needed but a substantial increase in pH or alkalinity is undesirable. It can also be used to increase the calcium ion concentration in waters with high alkalinity and high sodium ion content or in waters with acceptable magnesium ion concentrations and high alkalinities. These waters can then be softened by the addition of lime, therefore reducing the alkalinity to acceptable levels. In classic municipal lime softening, this practice would be counterproductive, but for the previously mentioned uses, it is essential. Calcium chloride is less frequently used as a coagulant aid in certain waters.
Storage
Before being canned, fruits and vegetables undergo a number of treatments to stabilise their behaviour before and during their preservation period (cooking, sterilisation, lowering of pH to reduce any bacterial activity, etc ...).
Before being canned, fruits and vegetables undergo a number of treatments to stabilise their behaviour before and during their preservation period (cooking, sterilisation, lowering of pH to reduce any bacterial activity, etc ...).
This type of treatment usually entails an improvement of the treated foods. To give them a certain firmness, calcium chloride can be added to the blanching water or to the can.
The following products can be treated with calcium chloride as:
- vegetables: onions, peas, carrots, potatoes, olives, mushrooms, gherkins, beans, hot peppers, asparagus, salsify, tomatoes.
- fruits: cherries, strawberries, compost of apples, peaches, apricots, pineapples, pears.
- others: meat, rice, soya, tea.
Tartaric acid
Tartaric acid and its salts are used in the food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, textile, colourings and printing sectors.
Tartaric acid and its salts are used in the food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, textile, colourings and printing sectors.
CASO Calcium Chloride enables all of the residuary substances produced in making wine from grapes to be valorized. These residues are generally rich in tartrates which, after reacting with the Calcium Chloride, form calcium tartrate which is easy to transport and to use wherever it is required.
