Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose, also known as CMC, is one of the important water-soluble polymers, which is derived from chemical modification of natural cellulose. CMC has excellent properties of thickening, dispersing, suspension, bonding, film forming, colloid protection and water protection, and is widely used in food, medicine, toothpaste and other industries. Some people are concerned about the safety of CMC used in food industry. Let’s discuss this issue in the following article.
FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) and WHO (World Health Organization) have approved the use of purified CMC in food industry. This is approved after rigorous molecular biology and toxicological studies and experiments.The international standard for safe intake (ADI) is 25mg/(kg·d), which is about 1.5 g/d per person. It has been reported that some people have taken up to 10kg in experiments without any adverse effects.
CMC is not only an excellent emulsifying, thickener and stabilizer in food application, but also has excellent freezing and melting stability, and can improve the flavor of products and prolong the storage time. The dosage of CMC for soy milk, ice cream, jellies, beverage and canned food is about 1% to 1.5%. CMC can also form a stable emulsion dispersion with vinegar, soy sauce, vegetable oil, fruit juice, meat juice, vegetable juice and so on. The dosage is 0.2%~0.5%. As a water-soluble food additive, CMC has the functions of thickening, stabilizing, emulsifying, and shape-forming. The dosage of CMC is different according to its different applications and different formulas. As long as the dosage is within the standard amount, it will not cause harm to our human body.
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