Sodium erythorbate

Sodium erythorbate1
IUPAC name
Sodium 5-(1,2-dihydroxyethyl)-3-hydroxy -4-oxo-furan-2-olate
other names
D-Isoascorbate; Erythorbic acid, sodium salt; E316
Identifiers
CAS number 6381-77-7
Properties
Molecular formula C6H7NaO6
Molar mass 198.11 g/mol
Appearance White crystalline solid
Melting point

168-170 °C
Solubility in water 16 g/100 ml
Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa)
Infobox references
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Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2010)

Sodium erythorbate (C6H7NaO6) is a food additive used predominantly in meats, poultry, and soft drinks. Chemically, it is the sodium salt of erythorbic acid. When used in processed meat such as hot dogs and beef sticks, it increases the rate at which nitrate reduces to nitric oxide, thus facilitating a faster cure and retaining the pink coloring. As an antioxidant structurally related to vitamin C, it helps improve flavor stability and prevents the formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines. When used as a food additive, its E number is E316citation needed.

Sodium erythorbate is produced from sugars derived from sources such as beets, sugar cane and corn.2 An urban myth claims that sodium erythorbate is made from ground earthworms; however, there is no truth to the myth.3 It is thought that the genesis of the legend comes from the similarity of the chemical name to the words earthworm and bait.3

References

  1. ^ Merck Index, 11th Edition, 5009.
  2. ^ "Sodium Erythorbate". PMP Fermentation Products, Inc.. http://www.pmpinc.com/products/SodiumErythorbate.asp. Retrieved 2008-10-27. 
  3. ^ a b Sodium Erythorbate - is it an earthworm?, Oregon Department of Agriculture

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_erythorbate. Additionally, in some cases elements from this article might be licensed under a different license. Please refer to the original article to check the license status http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_erythorbate.