E526 – Calcium Hydroxide
Description
White powder or colourless crystals
Notes
Calcium hydroxide is a white, powdery chemical compound that's created when calcium oxide (made by heating limestone at very high temperatures) is mixed with water. This process, called slaking, produces what's sometimes known as slaked lime or hydrated lime. While it might sound industrial, it's actually been used in food preparation for thousands of years across many cultures. In food production, calcium hydroxide serves as both a firming agent and acidity regulator. It helps keep pickled vegetables crisp and crunchy, and you'll find it used in processing corn for tortillas and hominy (where it's called cal in Mexican cuisine). It also helps control pH levels in various processed foods and can add calcium content to fortified products. This is a synthetic compound, but it's widely accepted across all dietary preferences since it doesn't come from animal sources. It's generally recognized as safe when used in appropriate amounts, though consuming large quantities can be harmful - but this isn't a concern with normal food consumption since it's used in very small amounts and often removed or neutralized during processing.