In the 19th century, it was discovered that adding carbon dioxide into a drink would make the drink bubbly and taste good. After that, Coke appeared and soon won a large market. As we all know, carbon dioxide is a colorless and tasteless gas. It has solubility in water and forms carbonic acid after being dissolved in water, with weak acidity. Carbon dioxide is used in many industries. What is its application in the food industry?

1、 Why does carbon dioxide taste when dissolved in water?

It is found that carbon dioxide, as a gas, is colorless and tasteless, while the carbonic acid dissolved in water is flavorful. There is a "carbonic acid dehydratase" on human taste buds, which dissociates carbonic acid into hydrogen ions and bicarbonate ions. In this process, neural signals are generated. Like other "tastes", neural signals are transmitted to the brain, and the taste of carbonic acid is "tasted" after analysis. That is to say, the taste of carbonic acid is not only the "sour" taste produced by hydrogen ions, but also has its own taste.

2、 How does carbon dioxide affect the brain's perception of sweetness?

In beverages, carbonic acid not only has its own taste, but also affects the human body's perception of sweetness. In 2013, Gastroenterology published a study by foreign scholars, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology to detect how carbon dioxide affects the brain's perception of sugar and sweeteners. They found that when carbon dioxide was present, the brain felt much less sweet from the same amount of sugar. This means that to get the same sweetness in carbonated drinks, you need more sugar. This makes the "classic" cola a typical high sugar drink with a sugar content of more than 10%. The role of carbon dioxide well explains the characteristics of "gas escaping cola": it tastes bad, but is more sweet. Carbon dioxide can reduce the taste difference between sweeteners and real sugar. Various "modern diseases" accompanied by high sugar and high calorie make "low sugar" become one of the basic principles of modern people's healthy diet. If you don't want to eat sugar and enjoy sweetness, sweeteners become an alternative. When the dosage is large, these "peculiar smell" and "aftertaste" will become unacceptable. In carbonated drinks, carbon dioxide fools the brain, making sweeteners less "heretical" and more acceptable.

3、 Used for fruit and vegetable preservation

The essence of CA storage is to increase the regulation of gas composition on the basis of cold storage; Controlled atmosphere storage under low oxygen (generally 1% - 5% oxygen content) and appropriate carbon dioxide concentration can greatly inhibit the respiration of fruits and vegetables, inhibit the reproduction and survival of harmful bacteria, reduce decay, maintain the good flavor and aromatic smell of fruits and vegetables, inhibit water evaporation, maintain the freshness of fruits and vegetables, and also inhibit the activity of enzymes, Inhibit ethylene production (ethylene gas will be produced by fruits and vegetables during storage, and ethylene will accelerate the ripening and aging of fruits and vegetables), delay the ripening and aging process, maintain the hardness and freshness of fruits for a long time, and extend the storage period and shelf life.

4、 For small packaged food

For baked food, carbon dioxide can not only effectively inhibit mold, but also prevent the soft pastry of the bread maker from hardening. Carbon dioxide can extend its shelf life more effectively than liquid nitrogen, which can be extended to 1 month. Filling carbon dioxide in the small package of snacks, cheese and juice can also extend the shelf life to prevent mildew and maintain good sensory quality.

Article source: small carbon dioxide cylinder manufacturerhttp://www.chameto.com/