Blog - Food Reality Check

What is E238? – Complete guide to understanding Calcium Formate

What is E238? Complete guide to understanding E238 (Calcium Formate) — an animal feed preservative NOT approved for human food 🐄 CRITICAL DISTINCTION: E238 (Calcium Formate) is ONLY approved for…

E-Numbers & Additives

What is E503? – Complete guide to understanding ammonium carbonates in your food

What is E503? Complete guide to understanding ammonium carbonates in your food The Quick Answer E503 is ammonium carbonates—a mixture of ammonium carbonate and ammonium bicarbonate—used primarily as a leavening…

E-Numbers & Additives

What is E509? – Complete Guide to understanding Calcium Chloride in your food

What is E509? Complete guide to understanding E509 (Calcium Chloride) in your food The Quick Answer E509 is a mineral salt used as a firming and stabilizing agent. It's used…

E-Numbers & Additives

What is E476? – Complete guide to understanding polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) in your food

What is E476? Complete guide to understanding polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) in your food The Quick Answer E476 is polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR), an emulsifier made from glycerol and castor oil fatty…

E-Numbers & Additives

What is E900? – Complete guide to understanding Dimethylpolysiloxane in your food

What is E900? Complete guide to understanding E900 (Dimethylpolysiloxane) in your food The Quick Answer E900 is a silicon-based anti-foaming agent. It's used in food to prevent foam and bubbling…

E-Numbers & Additives

What is E952? – Complete Guide to understanding Sodium Cyclamate in your food

What is E952? Complete guide to understanding E952 (Sodium Cyclamate) in your food The Quick Answer E952 is a synthetic artificial sweetener. It's used in food as a sugar substitute…

E-Numbers & Additives

What is E581? – Complete guide to understanding Sodium Iron EDTA

What is E581? Complete guide to understanding E581 (Sodium Iron EDTA) — a chelated iron with 2-3x superior bioavailability, approved for supervised food fortification to treat iron deficiency anemia, regulated…

Emerging Tech

Why Organic Producers Use Ozone: USDA Approved Sanitizer

Ozone is approved by USDA for organic food production—meeting organic standards because it leaves no synthetic residues and decomposes to oxygen. Understanding USDA organic regulations, why ozone is superior to…

Emerging Tech

Vacuum Chilling: Cooling Lettuce Without Ice Water

Vacuum cooling rapidly chills vegetables by evaporative cooling under low pressure—cooling from field temperature to 4°C in 20-30 minutes without water. Understanding vacuum cooling mechanism, advantages over ice water cooling,…

Emerging Tech

Is Ozone Gas Safe in Foods? Dissipation & Byproducts

Ozone is completely safe in foods because it rapidly dissipates to oxygen—the only byproduct is O₂. Understanding ozone dissipation, byproduct safety, and regulatory limits reveals that ozone leaves zero residue…