Acids possess the characteristic to donate hydrogen or accept an electron and a base has the characteristic of receiving hydrogen or donating an electron. The predominant species in the solution is what controls the pH. A buffer solution consists of a weak acid and its conjugate weak base. It helps control the pH of a solution within a specified range. PH plays a vital role in the food industry. Adding acids to foods can help inhibit bacteria growth, provide the environment for certain chemical reactions to take place, and add flavor to the foods we eat. Though most of the foods that we eat are on the acidic side, too much acid or too low of a pH can affect the texture and make food unpleasant to eat. Adding a buffer helps control the pH to optimize both taste and texture.  

PH can help inhibit bacterial growth. Different types of microbes thrive in different pH ranges. Bacteria tend to grow best in more pH neutral ranges. Lowering the pH of your food will help inhibit growth of potentially harmful bacteria. This will help keep food safe and extend the shelf life of a product. As well as preventing growth of harmful bacteria, some chemical reactions that take place in our food need to happen within specific pH ranges. Pectin, for example, needs to be within a specific pH range for it to gel. Providing the environment for chemical reactions to take place is an important step for the stability of the product. This can also help achieve desired textures and flavors. Acids can help flavor our foods. Citric, malic, and fumaric acid just to name a few are commonly used in the food industry. These are used to maintain pH and add flavor. They are naturally derived acids and can complement different flavors. So how do we prevent making something too acidic?

Buffer salts are used to help keep a pH from going too low or too high. When there is a base in solution that is ready to take on an extra hydrogen, it helps keep the acid base equilibrium in a desired range. If a pH goes too low, it can cause unpleasant taste, undesirable texture changes, and be harsh on things like the enamel of your teeth when consumed. Buffer salts are also a good way to add salts to foods. When the buffer salt is added, the salt breaks away from the compound and leaves the anion available to participate in acid-base reactions. This is a great way to increase the sodium, potassium, or magnesium levels of your foods. A buffer salt needs to be able to easily dissociate in solution, and in the food industry it also needs to be safe to consume.  

Buffer salts help keep our processes efficient. They allow us to be able to add acid at an effective rate without the worry that the pH will suddenly drop and ruin whatever we are making. They help us hone in on the pH range that we need for optimal results and can have added benefits such as increasing your potassium intake.  

One of our favorite suppliers, Corbion, have developed a fantastic tool to help you calculate the effect of adding different acids and salt buffers in the pH of your formula. You can check this incredible tool here!

Corbion Sourness & Stability Calculator