The quality of life pursued by modern people is the comprehensive improvement of clothing, food, housing and transportation. In terms of diet, simple satiety and eating well are no longer the standard. Eating healthy and nutritious has become more and more important.

Sodium tripolyphosphate has the functions of chelating metal ions, suspension, dispersion, emulsification and pH buffer. The main purpose of food grade sodium tripolyphosphate with water retention ability is to improve the edible quality in food processing, especially in meat and fish products.

Food grade sodium tripolyphosphate is a common ingredient added to fish (such as salmon) before freezing. Its main purpose is to reduce melting water (or maintain water) and make seafood look stronger and smoother.

Scallops, shrimp and lobster. Taste, smell, texture and juiciness are important properties of seafood, but most seafood are easily damaged by ice crystals and protein denaturation during cryopreservation. The protein in fish meat determines the water retention performance. Sodium tripolyphosphate is a water retaining agent widely used in seafood, which can prevent protein denaturation during freezing.

In the production of frozen fish fillets, the fish fillets are immersed in a certain concentration of sodium tripolyphosphate solution before freezing. The water retention performance is closely related to the quality of fish products, such as texture, tenderness, slicability, elasticity and taste. If there is no sodium tripolyphosphate, most seafood are easy to lose weight (water) and produce a dark appearance when thawing, making the body vulnerable.

Sodium tripolyphosphate is also widely used in meat processing. Its main uses are as follows:

1. Water retention, emulsion stability, juiciness and tenderness

2. Delay the rate of oxidative deterioration

3. Improve color and maintain flavor

Phosphates commonly used in meat production include sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium pyrophosphate and sodium hexametaphosphate. Sodium tripolyphosphate is a common additive in meat processing. Adding sodium tripolyphosphate to meat can improve texture and color, reduce cooking loss and increase product yield. This mechanism can be believed by increasing pH, enhancing ion power and chelating metal ions.

The interaction between sodium tripolyphosphate and amino acids or hydroxyl groups in protein improves the water retention and gel strength of meat. At the same time, compared with using only sodium chloride, its combination with sodium chloride can reduce the sodium content in meat. NaCl contains 39.3% sodium, while the sodium content in sodium tripolyphosphate (anhydrous) is only 31.3%.

Is sodium tripolyphosphate safe to eat?

Food grade sodium tripolyphosphate is a multi-purpose component, which is generally considered safe (GRAS) when used in food according to the good production practices of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In addition, the safety of sodium tripolyphosphate has been approved by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) and is an authorized food additive of the European Union (EU). It can be used as a carrier of anthocyanin colored preparations and anthocyanins in food. Sodium tripolyphosphate is also in the list of food additives in China. It is safe to add and use it in accordance with laws and regulations.