Preservation Of Potassium Cinnamate

Potassium Cinnamate is a white crystalline powder, easily soluble in water, slightly soluble in ethanol, and has a natural cinnamon aroma. Potassium cinnamate is a super new generation of functional food preservatives. Its appearance has caused a shock in the food preservation industry. Traditional preservatives such as potassium sorbate only modify the surrounding environment of food for preservative purposes, and cannot be integrated with food, and even within a limited dosage range, there may still be residues in the human body, damaging health.

Potassium Cinnamate

Preservative mechanism of potassium cinnamate

Potassium cinnamate is widely used in foods because of its good solubility. The antiseptic mechanism is that potassium cinnamate is converted to cinnamic acid under acidic conditions. Cinnamic Acid is a weak acid with a pKa of 4.37-4.44, and its antimicrobial effect depends on it being mostly in the form of unionized acid molecules. When dissolved in water, the weak acid is not fully ionized into ions, but a balance is formed between the charged, ionic form and the uncharged, unionized form. The ratio of the two forms depends on the pH of the solution. The more acidic the solution, the more unionized forms.

Since the fifties, it has been known that the antimicrobial effect of cinnamic acid is by inhibiting the use of phenylalanine and tyrosine by microorganisms. In its non-ionized form, cinnamic acid is considered to be a weak acid preservative that is soluble in microbial membranes, enters cells, ionizes at higher pH environments and therefore lowers the internal pH, which can effectively affect the activity of many important enzymes, so Eventually kills contaminated cells.

Potassium cinnamate can be completely integrated with food, and it will not become a foreign body of food. Without changing the original flavor and nutrient structure of food, it can achieve the purpose of preservation from the inside of food and blending with the surrounding environment.

Here are two examples of potassium cinnamate in practical applications:

When Pepsi and the Coca-Cola Company selected potassium cinnamate, they were cautiously worried that potassium cinnamate would change the original taste of their products for hundreds of years, affecting their markets. However, after practical trials and repeated follow-up studies, Liangle Company found that potassium cinnamate not only completely adheres to the original taste of the beverage, but also has a preservative effect that is more than 3 times better. The amino acid provides potassium necessary trace elements to prevent hypokalemia. Researchers at Liangle also found that potassium cinnamate has the effect of expanding vascular smooth muscle and strengthening blood circulation, and can improve the body's ability to resist fatigue, regulate body functions, and enhance immunity. The Coca-Cola Company has made health-care carbonated beverages with potassium cinnamate as the primary additive, which is marketed in Northern European markets such as Iceland and Finland.

Because potassium cinnamate has good solubility and antiseptic properties, and is safe and non-toxic, it is widely used in processing cold meats, enemas, ham sausages, preserved meats, and canned meat products. Many experiments have proved that adding a certain amount of potassium cinnamate during processing can have a good antiseptic and preservation effect. For example, it can effectively prevent mold and mildew after being applied to cold fresh meat, and can also effectively maintain freshness. Meat color and flavor, and multiple effects such as water retention, anti-oxidation and stabilization of fresh meat quality; applied in ham, can effectively improve the color and flavor of ham sausage, and have multiple effects of water retention, antioxidant and improve ham sausage quality And can reduce the use of sodium nitrite, effectively solve the common problems such as ham intestinal acid rot and bag expansion.

The above is the information about potassium cinnamate introduced by Cinnamon Chemicals Supplier. Hope to help you.