Whether Sodium Diacetate is Harmful to Human Health

Sodium diacetate is a white crystal with hygroscopic properties and acetic acid odor, soluble in water and ethanol. A 10% aqueous solution has a pH of 4.5 to 5.0. The toxicity of sodium diacetate is very low, it will eventually metabolize into CO2 and H2O in the human body, without any toxic side effects.

In addition to the advantages of low toxicity and side effects, sodium diacetate also has a unique antiseptic mechanism. From the point of view of chemical molecular structure, sodium diacetate is a bimolecular salt combined by short hydrogen bond, is a molecular compound. It is acidic in aqueous solution, and the acetic acid released can penetrate into the cell wall of mold tissue, interfere with various enzyme systems in cells, denaturate proteins in cells, inhibit the growth and reproduction of microorganisms, and thus play an antibacterial role. However, it has little effect on the lactic acid bacteria and baker's yeast that are needed in the food, thus protecting the nutritional content of the food. This property makes sodium diacetate an unusual food additive.

At present, there are three main production methods of sodium diacetate: one is the liquid phase reaction method of sodium acetate and acetic acid in ethanol, our country in recent years to achieve industrial production manufacturers are using this method; The second is the synthesis of sodium carbonate and acetic anhydride. The third is sodium carbonate and acetic acid reaction method.

Due to its magical properties, sodium diacetate can be used in many fields.

1.Grain mildew prevention agent

Sodium diacetate and its compound products are used as mildew prevention agents for grain storage. Sodium diacetate can effectively inhibit the reproduction and growth of mold and bacteria by releasing acetic acid, and has no harmful stimulation and toxicity to human body. Sodium diacetate is suitable for all food crops, can be used in rice, wheat, corn, peanuts, beans and other preservative preservation. Sodium diacetate showed more significant mildew control effect on the newly harvested grain with water content of more than 20%, especially on the corn grain which was difficult to store.

2.Feed anti-mildew agent

Feed without preservatives will quickly become mildew at room temperature, so that its nutritional content is destroyed and its value is greatly reduced. At the same time, the toxin produced by mildew will also be transferred from livestock to human body, affecting human health. Sodium diacetate can inhibit the growth of mold spores in feed and prevent feed mildew effectively. Adding 0.1% to 0.5% sodium diacetate into the general feed can effectively prevent mildew, keep the pH value of silage at 4, and extend the storage period to more than 3 weeks. Sodium diacetate is not only suitable for mildew preservation of all plant mixed feed, silage and raw materials, but also has the function of increasing nutritional value and palatability of feed (other mildew prevention agents do not have this function).

3.Leather processing

In the tannery industry, sodium diacetate can not only be used in the preservation process of rawhide, but also as a fixing agent for fur and leather dyeing. The preservation of rawhide with 0.5% sodium diacetate was effective and the quality of rawhide was improved. In addition, sodium diacetate is a promising new solid acid leaching agent. It can not only carry out chromium-free leaching, in the absence of salt, sodium diacetate will not cause the expansion of rawhide.

4.Other uses

Sodium diacetate can not only be used in the manufacture of sour flavoring agent, but also can be used as chelating agent, homogenizing agent, mordant and color fixing agent for dyes, electroplating additive, plant growth regulator, and as an organic synthesis intermediate for the reaction of salicylic aldehyde and acetic anhydride to produce coumarin.