Calcium chloride is a food additive that is on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Generally Recognized as Safe list. A salt, it is derived from calcium and used in foods from apple slices to condiments to meat. Although on the GRAS list, the FDA does place limits on the amount of calcium chloride allowed in foods.
Uses
Calcium chloride serves a variety of purposes in food. For example, it may be an anticaking agent, a pH control agent, a flavor enhancer, an antimicrobial agent, a curing and pickling agent, a firming agent, a thickener or a texturizer.
Foods
Calcium chloride may be on the ingredient list of beverages like fruit juice and energy drinks, baked goods, breakfast cereal, processed fruits, raw poultry cuts, raw cuts of meat and processed meat products. You might also find it in evaporated milk, dairy-based drinks like eggnog, macaroni and potato salad, soup, egg-based desserts, sausage casing, canned potatoes, canned tomatoes, relishes, sauces and even tea.
Safety
Calcium chloride can be toxic if injected into your muscles or bloodstream, but has a low toxicity rating when ingested. According to the FDA, the amount of this substance that you can expect to consume via food does not constitute a hazard to your health. Solutions containing up to 10 percent calcium chloride are used to treat hypocalcemia, or blood levels of calcium that are too low, notes Drugs.com. Such a solution should never be injected into tissue because it can cause necrosis, or tissue death.
Limits
The FDA limits the amount of calcium chloride that can be in food. For example, in wine it's limited to 30 lb. per 1,000 gallons. In baked goods and products such as soymilk, the limitation is 0.3 percent. In nonalcoholic beverages and beverage bases, 0.22 percent is allowed. In processed fruit products, fruit juices and cheese, the limit is 0.2 percent. In coffee and tea, 0.32 percent is allowed. Other limits include 0.4 percent for relishes and condiments, 0.1 percent for jams or jellies, 0.2 percent in gravies or sauces, 0.25 percent in meat products, 0.4 percent in vegetable juices, 0.2 percent in plant protein products and 0.05 percent in other foods. Calcium chloride may be included in a solution that's injected into raw meat if injecting the solution does not result in more than a 3 percent gain in weight compared to that of the untreated product.
References
- "Food Additives Handbook"; Richard J. Lewis; 1989
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration; Listing of Food Additive Status; 2011
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration; Calcium Chloride; October 2006
- Database of Select Committee on GRAS Substances (SCOGS) Reviews
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Food Ingredients and Colors
- FAO/WHO Food Standards: Food Additive Details -- Calcium Chloride; 2010
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