Water-binding phosphates that hold yield and texture through the freeze, and through the thaw that follows.
Most foods are 80% or more water. Freezing turns that water into ice crystals that interlock and stiffen the product — and expand, rupturing cell walls as they go.
That expansion damages tissue, which shows up as drip loss on thaw: lost weight, lost nutrients, and a texture much softer than the raw material had. Water-binding additives exist to limit how much of that is irreversible.
The additives we supply
We stock Sodium Hexametaphosphate (SHMP), Sodium Percarbonate, Sodium Tripolyphosphate (STPP) and Sodium Gluconate for frozen and preserved food.
A regulatory note worth knowing: in fish, carbonates are permitted only in processed products. Where unprocessed fillets show more added water than tissue-water loss would explain, that difference is what routine water-content testing is looking for.
Sodium Hexametaphosphate (SHMP)A water-retaining agent across meat, aquatic and frozen processing. Used correctly it improves water yield and product structure, increases brittleness, extends shelf life and saves cost.
In seafood specificallySHMP addresses loss of flavour and nutrition, reduces oxidation and discolouration, and gives muscle tissue better water retention — including through thawing.
Sodium Tripolyphosphate (STPP)In meat processing STPP improves texture and colour, reduces cooking loss and increases yield — by raising pH, strengthening ionic power and chelating metal ions. It interacts with amino acid and hydroxyl groups in proteins, improving water retention and gel strength.
Sodium GluconateA sequestrant for iron and copper in acidic and neutral conditions, and for calcium and magnesium in alkaline ones. It also reduces the bitterness of stevia, erythritol and mineral salts, and balances sweetness against sourness in beverages.
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