Is it safe to use food grade sodium hexametaphosphate as "water retention artifact"?

 Food additives are now flooding people's eating and drinking, and almost every product contains food additives. Food humectants are actually phosphates. Taking meat products as an example, adding food grade sodium hexametaphosphate can reactivate the meat protein tissue and restore the water retention capacity of the meat. At the same time, it can adjust the ph value of the meat. As the ph value increases, the water retention capacity will also increase.

In fact, the use of quality improvers in food is the result of the continuous development of the food industry. Reasonable use can inhibit the growth of harmful microorganisms, prevent health hazards caused by these harmful microorganisms, and extend the shelf life of food. Food grade sodium hexametaphosphate improves the cohesiveness and water retention of meat and increases the taste. It is a quality improver often used in food processing.

Compared with industrialized and standardized foods, foods with high salt, high sugar, and high oil methods such as salted, candied, and oily methods to extend the shelf life have hidden health hazards and are more worthy of vigilance. There are also some foods with high moisture content and rich nutrition, such as cakes, ham sausages, etc. If preservatives are not used, they are likely to be spoiled before they leave the factory and are even more unsafe.

Several principles for choosing food grade sodium hexametaphosphate moisture retention agent products:

1. The solubility of food grade sodium hexametaphosphate, the water-retaining agent can only be used after it is dissolved, and the product that dissolves poorly cannot play the role of the product.

2. The ability of marinated meat to retain water and color: After marinated, the meat will have elasticity and the meat will have brightness.

3. Product taste: food grade sodium hexametaphosphate with insufficient purity and poor quality is made into meat products, which will have astringent sensation when tasting, which is clearly reflected on both sides of the tongue root, followed by details such as the crispness of the product.

In addition to adjusting the pH value of the meat and increasing the ionic strength, sodium hexametaphosphate can also chelate metal ions such as Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Fe²⁺, etc., to improve water retention performance, and at the same time improve antioxidant effect. Because metal ions are the activator of fat oxidation rancidity, after adding sodium hexametaphosphate, the calcium and magnesium ions originally combined with muscle are chelated by polyphosphate, and the carboxyl group in muscle protein is released. Due to the electrostatic repulsion between the carboxyl groups, the protein structure is relaxed and more water can be absorbed, thereby improving the water retention of the meat.

It is worth noting that, for the use of sodium hexametaphosphate in food, my country has strict food safety risk assessment and standard regulations and other management systems. In modern industrial production, the use of food additives such as sodium hexametaphosphate are added in strict accordance with its prescribed scope of use and usage specifications, which will not cause health hazards and can be described as a safe "water retention artifact".