Chemicals for food and beverage processing

Food-grade, USP and FCC acidulants, preservatives and humectants, and the caustic and acid chemicals plants clean with.

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Every size listed is priced and sold online, with no minimum. Quotes are for multi-unit, bulk and recurring supply. Or call 512-365-6838.

Leafy greens rinsed under spray nozzles in a stainless-steel washing line

Photo: wei (chanwei_snap) on Unsplash

Where the chemistry goes

Four steps of a typical process line. The product title states each grade: food grade, USP, FCC or technical.

  1. Step 1 Formulation and pH

    Steam-jacketed kettle, cut away

    Acidulants set flavor and pH; bicarbonates leaven and buffer; salts firm and coagulate.

  2. Step 2 Preservation

    Batch tank with agitator, cut away

    Sulfites slow browning and oxidation in dried fruit and wine; acetic acid preserves pickles and sauces.

  3. Step 3 Humectants and carriers

    Jacketed mixing vessel, cut away

    Glycerin and propylene glycol hold moisture and carry flavors and colors.

  4. Step 4 Cleaning in place

    Pasteurizer heat exchanger, cut away

    Lines and heat exchangers get a caustic wash for fats and proteins, then an acid rinse for milkstone and mineral scale.

Technical notes

Reference notes on the grades, specifications and food additive rules behind the chemicals a processing plant buys.

Key specifications

Specification Why it matters
FCC or USP monograph Food Chemicals Codex and United States Pharmacopeia monographs set identity, assay and impurity limits. The product title states the grade, and the COA for your lot shows the results.
Heavy metals (ppm) Monographs limit lead and, for some ingredients, arsenic, fluoride or other metals. Those limits are the main reason a food-grade acid costs more than the technical grade of the same chemical.
Concentration and hydrate form Phosphoric acid comes as 75% and 85%, citric acid as anhydrous or monohydrate, and acetic acid in several dilutions. Pumps and recipes are set for one form, so confirm it before you reorder.
Sulfite content Sulfiting agents must be declared on the label when the finished food contains 10 ppm or more. FDA does not allow them on fruits and vegetables sold or served raw.
Lot traceability FDA record-keeping rules require plants to know the immediate source of each ingredient and where finished product went. Record the lot number of every container at receiving.

Industry overview

Food and beverage plants buy two kinds of chemistry: ingredients that end up in the product, and utility chemicals that clean the equipment. On the ingredient side, citric acid is the standard acidulant for flavor and pH, phosphoric acid USP food grade acidifies colas and other beverages, potassium bicarbonate FCC/USP leavens and buffers, and magnesium chloride hexahydrate FCC/USP is the coagulant, known as nigari, that sets tofu. Glycerin USP and propylene glycol USP hold moisture and carry flavors and colors. Sodium metabisulfite slows browning in dried fruit and wine, and food-grade acetic acid acidifies pickles and sauces.

On the utility side, clean-in-place (CIP) programs in dairies, breweries and bottling plants run a caustic wash for fats and proteins, then a phosphoric or citric acid rinse for milkstone and mineral scale. Match each purchase to its use: food grade, FCC or USP for anything that becomes part of the food, and technical grade only where the chemical is rinsed out.

Why grade matters

Food grade, FCC and USP exist because the same molecule can be made several ways, with different impurities. Food-grade phosphoric acid is made by the thermal process or from purified wet-process acid, and the FCC limits its arsenic, fluoride and lead; technical phosphoric acid is not held to those limits. The USP monographs for glycerin and propylene glycol limit diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol. A high assay on a technical-grade drum says nothing about any of these.

Propylene glycol shows how use decides grade. Propylene glycol USP is a food ingredient. The glycol in a secondary cooling loop is an inhibited coolant, not an ingredient. Plants choose propylene glycol over ethylene glycol for loops near food because it is far less toxic if a heat exchanger leaks.

Regulations to know

FDA regulates food additives under 21 CFR. Many processing chemicals are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) in Parts 182 and 184, often with conditions: sodium metabisulfite may not be used on meats, on foods that are a significant source of thiamin, or on produce served raw. The Food Chemicals Codex is the usual reference for food-grade purity, and USP grade suits plants that also make supplements or drugs. Lubricants with incidental food contact must meet 21 CFR 178.3570.

Under FSMA, a plant must run a supply-chain program when a supplier controls a hazard, and the Bioterrorism Act record-keeping rule requires records of each ingredient's immediate source. Importers also need a Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP). Plants exporting to Europe follow EU Regulation 1333/2008, which lists approved additives by E number.

Common purchasing mistakes

  • Ordering the wrong strength. Dosing pumps set for phosphoric acid 85% underdose with 75%, and the batch drifts off pH.
  • Swapping hydrate forms by weight. Anhydrous citric acid delivers about 9% more acid per pound than monohydrate.
  • Buying technical grade for an ingredient because the assay looks high. Heavy metals and glycol impurities are not covered by a technical specification.
  • Using general industrial grease near food. Lubricants with incidental contact must meet 21 CFR 178.3570, and castor oil is permitted as a release agent only for the uses in 21 CFR 172.876.
  • Leaving sulfite containers open. Sodium metabisulfite loses sulfur dioxide to the air, so the dose weakens over time.

Shipped from Taylor, Texas

Most in-stock orders leave in one to two business days. Parcel or freight depends on what is in the box, not on who is buying, and every size listed is sold online.

UPS Ground Bottles, jugs and up to three pails
LTL freight Four or more pails, drums and totes, by liftgate truck on a pallet
  • UPS
  • ABF Freight
  • FedEx Freight
  • R+L Carriers
  • Saia
  • Southeastern Freight Lines
  • XPO

The carrier's hazmat fee is passed through at cost. See the shipping guide for how orders are packed and rated.

Paperwork for your file

Safety data sheets are public. A certificate of analysis for the lot you receive is free on request.

Questions buyers ask

What is the difference between food grade, FCC and USP?

FCC is the Food Chemicals Codex standard for food ingredients; USP is the United States Pharmacopeia standard. Food grade is a general term. The product title and COA tell you which standard a lot meets.

Can I use technical-grade caustic for cleaning?

Cleaning chemicals are rinsed out of the system before production. Follow your sanitation program and your auditor's requirements for what may be used on food-contact surfaces.

Can I buy small quantities for product development?

Yes. Sizes run from small containers to totes, depending on the product, and every size listed is priced and sold online with no minimum.

Do you send a certificate of analysis?

A COA for the lot you receive is free on request, and safety data sheets for every product are in the SDS library.

Should I buy phosphoric acid 75% or 85%?

Either works as an acidulant or a CIP acid; 85% carries more acid per gallon. Pumps and recipes are set for one strength, so reorder the strength your process was validated with. Both strengths are sold in USP food grade, and technical grades are sold for cleaning.

Can propylene glycol be used in a cooling loop in a food plant?

Yes. Plants use propylene glycol rather than ethylene glycol in secondary cooling loops near food because it is much less toxic if a leak occurs. Use an inhibited glycol in the loop, since plain glycol does not protect the metal from corrosion, and keep USP propylene glycol for ingredients.

What records do I need for ingredient traceability?

FDA's Bioterrorism Act record-keeping rule requires records of the immediate source of each ingredient and the immediate recipient of what you ship. Record the lot number on each container at receiving, and ask for the COA for that lot when your food safety plan calls for it.

Are there heavy metal limits for food-grade chemicals?

Yes. Each FCC or USP monograph sets its own limits, usually for lead and sometimes for arsenic or other metals. The COA for your lot shows the results, and it is free on request.

Can magnesium chloride be used in food?

Yes. FDA lists magnesium chloride as GRAS, and it is the traditional tofu coagulant, known as nigari. Use an FCC or USP grade, such as magnesium chloride hexahydrate FCC/USP, for any food use.

Where can sodium metabisulfite be used?

It is GRAS as an antioxidant and preservative, but FDA does not allow sulfites on meats, on foods that are a significant source of thiamin, or on fruits and vegetables sold or served raw. Labels must declare sulfites at 10 ppm or more in the finished food.

Order today, or talk it through first

Every size listed on this page is priced and sold online. For drums and totes on a schedule, several delivery points or net 30 terms, send us your volumes and we will quote the product and the freight.

Shop food processing chemicalsRequest a bulk quote
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