CASO® Food Additive E509 

CASO^® FOOD Flakes, is a dihydrate calcium chloride food grade of mineral origin. In the context of the European Regulation N° 1333/2008 on food additives, permitted for use in foodstuffs, and  European Regulation 231/2012, laying down specific purity criteria for food additives other than colours and sweeteners. CASO^® FOOD Flakes is characterized by the European Number E 509 referring to 'calcium chloride'.

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 ...).

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.

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.

Calcium chloride is not classified as a hazardous material and is, therefore, not subject to specific handling regulations. The various modes of transportation include: bulk rail cars (30-90 t), bulk trucks (up to 20 t), box rail cars, and van flatbed trailers. Depending on whether the shipments are in liquid or dry form, there are several variations to the above general classifications. Dry bulk calcium chloride can be stored in bins fabricated from most construction-grade steel materials. Care should be taken to minimize moisture. Venting should be limited to times of filling and discharging calcium chloride from the storage bin. Liquid calcium chloride can be stored in either hoizontal or vertical cylindrical steel tanks. Fiberglass and plastic may also be used within limits of strenght and temperature. Because calcium chloride is hygroscopic, the common safety precautions involved in the handling of chemicals should be observed: wearing gloves, boots, long-sleeve shirts, and safety glasses, and if dry products are being handled, dust protection must be insured.

In the context of the Eurpean Regulation N° 178/2002 laying down procedures in matters of food safety and Regulation N°852/2004 laying down general food hygiene requirements to be respected by food businesses, the general requirements of the food law are that food must not be placed on the market if it is unsafe (i.e. if it is harmful to the health and/or unfit for the consumption).
A Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (hereinafter referred to as HACCP) system is implemented in our manufacturing plant and it consists of applying the following principles:

- the conduction of a hazard analysis and the identification of preventive measures;
- the determination of the Critical Control Points (CCPs),
- the establishment of critical limits, monitoring procedures, corrective actions (via internal audits), record-keeping and documentation procedures (ensuring traceability and claims treatment) and the establishment of verification procedures.

Furthermore our manufacturing plant located in Rosignano (Italy) is registered by the competent authority and a sanitary/hygiene authorization was issued for the manufacture, the storage and the marketing of calcium chloride as food additive characterized by the European Number E509 (Autorizzazion igienico sanitaria N. 111).

Safety & Environment: to be taken seriously. Safety and the environment are as important for you as they are for us. We make it a point of honour to keep you well informed.

Since calcium chloride is classed as an 'irritant', it is necessary to observe certain elementary precautions. These include :

- never place the skin in prolonged contact with CASO or any of its solutions
- use water, preferably lukewarm, to thoroughly rinse any part of the body affected by this product.
- wear gloves made from rubber or plastic.
- avoid any inhalation of CASO dust.
- wear protective glasses when handling CASO.
- avoid working with equipment made from leather.

With regard to the effects of CASO on the environment, we offer you the following thoughts :

- Calcium and chlorine ions are everywhere in the atmosphere and are used physiologically for living organisms. They occur naturally in the soil, rocks and sediment, as well as in surface or deep water.
- Calcium is an essential element in the cycle of life. It plays a part in the mineral balance of plants and is an important element in the composition of the water in our rivers and in our mains supplies. The effects on the environment of calcium in the form of calcium chloride are not to be feared.
- Chlorine ions, the other component of CASO, should be looked at from two points of view.

On the whole, the chlorine found in river water rarely exceeds the levels allowed by official bodies responsible for public health and the environment. Certain periods of the winter have revealed very short peaks in concentration. Recent studies have shown that these occurrences do not have an important influence on the aquatic environment.

As far as fluoride is concerned, even in those areas where CASO is used intensively do we find anything like the destruction of plants put forward by certain alarmists. The occasional accelerated fall of leaves or plant thorns (biological regulators of the latter) have been observed, as has the appearance of plants which are particularly resistant to chlorine or the mutation of certain species of plant.

In 45 years of spreading CASO on our roads, no serious incident concerning an animal ingesting this product has been brought to our attention.