Technical Brief
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VERSENE CA Food-Grade EDTA
Canned Seafood
Improving the quality of canned seafood with VERSENE CA food-grade EDTA
Metal ions can dramatically affect the quality of your canned seafood products. Left uncontrolled, they promote discoloration, off-colors, and off-odors in your product, reducing overall quality and customer appeal. Why metals are a problem Metal ions occur naturally in both seafood and water. Naturally occuring iron, which is the biggest offender, copper, and zinc can react with organic materials to cause discoloration, offflavors, and off-odors. Because they catalyze degradation reactions, only trace (parts per million) quantities of these metals need to be present to dramatically affect product quality. Metal ion degradation of seafood is most troublesome during the retort process. The cooking process activates iron in contact with food, promoting degradation that creates problems before your product reaches store shelves. Graying and fishy off-odors in clams are two such problems. How VERSENE food-grade EDTA can help VERSENE* CA food-grade EDTA controls iron and other metals under canning conditions. VERSENE CA surrounds problem metals with stable ring structures and inactivates them, preventing the ions from reacting with the organic materials in your product. Effective at low concentrations (0.025 to 0.034% of the total pack), VERSENE CA food-grade EDTA can prevent the discoloration and offflavors caused by iron and other metals during retort. It offers excellent heat and pH stability and is compatible with most food systems and processes. VERSENE CA food-grade EDTA VERSENE CA food-grade EDTA offers excellent formulating flexibility for canned seafood. It's a white crystalline powder which dissolves readily in water. VERSENE CA is also essentially odorless, colorless, and tasteless at recommended use levels. And it's Kosher-certified. Table 1 (see back) shows the typical properties for this product. FDA status Listed in Table 2 (see back) are specific FDA- allowed canned seafood uses for VERSENE CA foodgrade EDTA under FDA Food Additive Regulation 21 CFR 172.120. For a complete listing of current FDA regulations covering the use of EDTA, contact Dow at the numbers shown on this bulletin. Similar clearances exist in Canada, Japan, and the European Union. Contact Dow at the numbers shown on this bulletin for further information.
EDTA/Metal Ion Complex
*Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company
Table 1: Typical Properties1 of VERSENE CA Food-Grade EDTA2
Minimum Active Ingredients (Food Chemicals Codex)
Product
Composition
Molecular Weight
Bulk Density
pH, 1% Solution
VERSENE CA CaNa2EDTA·2H2O
Calcium chelate of disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate, dihydrate
97102.0%
410
40 lb/ft3
6.5 7.5
New applications require that a petition be filed with the FDA. If you are interested in developing an application for EDTA in food, our Technical Service and Development team for VERSENE products will assist you in your development work and can help you petition the FDA. For formulation and other assistance, contact Dow Dow food application specialists can help you troubleshoot food problems and can even provide formulation suggestions for challenging products and for products produced outside the U.S. The METAL SIGNATURE analytical service is available to provide you with a detailed profile of metal ions in your product or process. Included are lab studies to identify the best answer to your specific metals problem. The PIMIC computer modeling service helps us identify the best metals control measures you can take. We use specific data about your system to predict and optimize the behavior of different chelating agents in your food system. To learn more about VERSENE CA food-grade EDTA and how you can take advantage of our valuable support services, contact Dow at the numbers below. We'll be happy to answer your questions, provide additional literature, and send a sample of VERSENE CA for your evaluation.
1The
data provided for these properties are typical values, intended only as guides, and should not be construed as sales specifications. all requirements for the Food Chemicals Codex and the United States Pharmacopoeia.
2Meets
Table 2: FDA-allowed uses for VERSENE CA food-grade EDTA Product Clams (cooked, canned) Crabmeat (cooked, canned) Shrimp (cooked, canned) Maximum Concentration 340 ppm VERSENE CA 275 ppm VERSENE CA 250 ppm VERSENE CA
For more information, complete literature and product samples, you can reach a Dow representative at the following numbers: From the United States and Canada From Mexico Call Fax Call Fax 1-800-447-4369 1-989-832-1465 95-800-447-4369 95-989-832-1465
