| Product | Test carrier | Adding dosage g/kg | Propionic acid g/kg | detection rate | |
| Theoretical content | Tested content （liquid phase） | ||||
| CalciumPropionate | half-baked bread | 2.5 | 2.5 | 1.48 | 59.20% |
| bread | 2.5 | 1.42 | 56.80% | ||
| half-baked dough | 5.0 | 5.0 | 3.51 | 70.20% | |
| medium bread | 5.0 | 3.38 | 67.60% | ||
Conclusion and Suggestion
1、The deviation between the detected value of preservative and the theoretical added dosage does exist.
For baking products, according to different application products and preservative varieties, the detection rate is mostly in the range of 50%-75%.
2、When the test value is abnormally low, we should combine the above analysis to make a comprehensive judgment and find countermeasures by checking the reasons one by one. Figure out whether it is a problem with the preservative, improper use, or a deviation in the detection method.
For example, for the same bread making, if the fermentation is fast in summer and more alcohol is produced, if used propionic acid for preservative, part of the propionic acid may be esterified, resulting in a low test amount.
Another example: if the preservative absorbs moisture, the moisture will be included in the weighing, the actual added dosage will be reduced, and the test content will definitely be low.
The test method also has an effect: sometimes liquid phase method is lower than the titration method, for example, microencapsulated dehydroacetic acid.
3, not excessive use of preservatives
At present, most of the preservative test is “sampling food residues of preservatives content”, many companies use this to push back the actual added dosage in the production process, so that there is a risk of adding excessive.
In accordance with the provisions of GB2760, preservatives are based on the total amount of finished products to do the limit, even if the residue in the final food does not exceed the standard, the production process is also illegal to add excessive amounts.
4、Preservatives are not the only solution to the problem of food preservation
According to years of experience, under the premise of complying with the GB2760 limit, relying on the addition of preservatives alone, it is difficult to prevent preservation for more than 10 days for bakery products with high moisture activity and under the environment of high temperature and humidity. Usually, it is necessary to cooperate with the use of external control preservatives such as deoxidizers, alcohol preservatives, etc., or take effective ways to reduce the moisture activity of food, or combine with the method of spraying sterilization, in order to achieve the requirements of a relatively long shelf life.
