E353 - Metatartaric Acid

Characteristic

Food additive E 353   (metatartaric acid or tartaric acid) is intended for use as an acid and acid regulator. Represents white hygroscopic, water-soluble crystals. It is obtained by heating natural tartaric acid at a temperature of 180-200 ° C. When the alloy cools, it breaks. Impurities: oligomers and monomers of tartaric acid. The solubility of the substance in water is good, in alcohol - medium, and in fats it does not dissolve.

Metatartaric acid is a polydisperse polymer blend. It consists of a polymerized compound formed by intermolecular
esterification between the carboxyl group of one L-tartaric acid unit and the secondary alcohol group of another L-tartaric acid molecule. The main components of E 353 are monoester and diester dinitrate, L-tartaric acid monomer and polyester chains with different degrees of polymerization.

Metatartaric acid is present in sugar cane, is produced from glucose and is a type of sugar acid. It is used as an acidity regulator. In fruits, the acid can be free or combined with potassium, calcium or magnesium. It is sometimes deposited as crystals in wine.

Tartaric acid was first isolated from potassium tartrate (tartar, tartar), and in 1769 Karl Wilhelm Schele isolated it in a modern way. In partially purified form, tartaric acid from tartar (tartar) has been known since the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans.

Most L-tartaric acid is produced as a by-product of the wine industry. The precipitates and other fermentation waste products are heated and neutralized with calcium hydroxide and then the precipitated calcium tartrate is treated with sulfuric acid to give free tartaric acid. It can also be extracted from tamarind pulp.

Use

Meta tartaric acid is added in the production of wine, it eliminates or reduces its turbidity. Tartrate is one of the acids that give the mouth a tart taste when drinking wine. The other two are malic and citric acid. E 353 is intended for use as a stabilizer and is used to prevent the growth and precipitation of crystals of potassium bitartate and calcium tartrate in wine.

Tartaric acid is approved for use in red and white wines in the European Union, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, Uruguay, Russia, South Africa and Turkey.

Metatartaric acid is produced by heating L-tartaric acid from naturally occurring sources, such as grapes, at 150-170 ° C at atmospheric or reduced pressure for less than an hour. This gives a colorless liquid which is cooled, dried and ground to an almost white powder. Deviations in production temperature, pressure and time allow manufacturers to control the degree of esterification in the final product.

Hydrolysis of metatartaric acid to tartaric acid in solution, the rate depending on both pH and time.

Metataric acid is used to precipitate excess calcium in wine production. This acid is found in wine, fruit juices and elsewhere.

Impact on humans

This type of acid is not completely broken down in the body. A very small amount is excreted by the kidneys, and most of the acid remains as undigested calcium tartrate in the intestine. 80% of ingested tartaric acid is destroyed by bacteria in the gut, and the fraction that is absorbed into the bloodstream is excreted in the urine.

Large amounts of metatartaric acid can cause gastroenteritis. No adverse effects in small amounts are known.
It is mostly safe to use. It is not useful to add to baby food, as infants do not have the necessary enzymes to absorb metatartaric acid.