As formulators, product developers and marketers and certainly as consumers, we cannot escape the need and desire to reduce sodium. Lowering the sodium content of our products and in our diets has become part of our everyday life. Whether the motivation for cutting sodium is a marketing initiative, a doctor’s orders or being a good corporate citizen , we cannot ignore the national focus on lowering sodium in our diets. Our challenge as bakers is to reduce sodium content without changing product characteristics. Flavor, texture and appearance are critical to maintain product quality, brand loyalty and sales volume. The cost to reformulate or develop lower-sodium baked goods is another consideration.

Many processors don’t consider replacing the leavening agent in baked goods to reduce sodium, but it is an ideal solution for retaining taste and texture. Nearly all the sodium in baked goods comes from salt, sodium bicarbonate and the leavening acid. Using a sodium-free leavening agent can make a difference in overall sodium levels. Assisting such efforts, Innophos, Inc., Cranbury, NJ, has developed lower-sodium solutions for healthy baking with a full range of calcium-based leavening phosphates to help you formulate healthier baked goods to meet consumers’ needs and expectations.

Benefits:
• Sodium-free
• Calcium content of 18%
• Slow gas-release profile
• Neutral, bland flavor
• One-to-one replacement for sodium acid pyro phosphate (SAPP) 28
• Comparable texture properties
• As economical to use as SAPP 28.

Specifically, Innophos’ CAL-RISE is a sodium-free, calcium-based leavening acid. A chemical mixture of calcium acid pyrophosphate (CAPP) and monocalcium phosphate, anhydrous (MCP), it is produced by a patented process and is a unique sodium-free leavening acid specially processed to replace SAPP 28. With a neutralizing value of 72, CAL-RISE is a one-to-one replacement for SAPP 28. With a calcium content of 18%, it will significantly increase your products’ calcium content. It is an excellent leavening for all types of bakery products and mixes.

Applications:
• Layer and snack cake products
• Biscuits, scones, muffi ns and pancakes
• Batters and breadings
• Tortillas
• Dry mixes, self-rising flour
• Baking powders.

Compared with SAPP 28, CAL-RISE has the same batter and specific volume properties and yields similar texture characteristics. For many products, the only change necessary is to reduce the sodium and increase the calcium numbers on the ingredient legend. “Our customers have been pleasantly surprised and pleased with the ability to utilize CAL-RISE as a dropin replacement for SAPP 28,” said John Brodie, baking technical service manager for Innophos. “The ability to reduce sodium in chemically leavened products without excess product development time is a huge benefit,” he added. “We have a win-win-win with CAL-RISE. You have a drop-in solution for reduced sodium, with no change in product quality or texture.”

END