Anticaking agent


An anticaking agent is an additive placed in powdered or granulated materials, such as table salt or confectioneries, to prevent the formation of lumps and for easing packaging, transport, flowability, and consumption. Caking mechanisms depend on the nature of the material. Crystalline solids often cake by formation of liquid bridge and subsequent fusion of microcrystals. Amorphous materials can cake by glass transitions and changes in viscosity. Polymorphic phase transitions can also induce caking.
Some anticaking agents function by absorbing excess moisture or by coating particles and making them water-repellent. Calcium silicate, a commonly used anti-caking agent, added to e.g. table salt, absorbs both water and oil.
Anticaking agents are also used in non-food items such as road salt, fertilisers, cosmetics, synthetic detergents, and in manufacturing applications.
Some studies suggest that anticaking agents may have a negative effect on the nutritional content of food; one such study indicated that most anti-caking agents result in the additional degradation of vitamin C added to food.

Examples

An anticaking agent in salt is denoted in the ingredients, for example, as "anti-caking agent ", which is sodium aluminosilicate. This product is present in many commercial table salts as well as dried milk, egg mixes, sugar products, flours and spices. In Europe, sodium ferrocyanide and potassium ferrocyanide are more common anticaking agents in table salt. "Natural" anticaking agents used in more expensive table salt include calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate.

List of anticaking agents

The most widely used anticaking agents include the stearates of calcium and magnesium, silica and various silicates, talc, as well as flour and starch. Ferrocyanides are used for table salt.
The following anticaking agents are listed in order by their number in the Codex Alimentarius.