|  | Diet Nutrition | Nutrition

Calcium Chloride Bulk Foods

Like sodium chloride, calcium chloride is also a salt. Because of its absorbent properties, calcium chloride is often used to settle road dust, de-ice roads, treat aquarium water, and preserve food. Manufacturers add calcium chloride to bulk foods to preserve firmness and supplement calcium content.

  1. Pickles

    • During processing and shipping to supermarket shelves, pickles produced in bulk tend to become soft and mushy. Soaking cucumbers in a brine that contains 0.5% calcium chloride along with sodium chloride reduces softening. Only 0.2% of the resulting pickles and relish made from pickles contain calcium chloride.

    Apples

    • Apples grown in conditions that deprive the fruits of sufficient calcium may develop cork spots, which are circular spots of tissue damage. These unappealing spots may be prevented by manufacturers by submerging the apples in solutions of 3-8% calcium chloride. Bitter pits can also be prevented in this manner.

    Cherries and Olives

    • Both cherries and olives may lose their firmness in the brining and bulk-packaging processes. Brining in a calcium chloride solution slows down the softening process. Cherries require a more concentrated brine than olives do: 2.5-4% solutions are recommended for cherries, compared to 0.5-1% solutions for olives.

Nutrition - Related Articles