Anticaking agent

Anti-caking agents (including anti-caking agent, Rieselfähigkeitsförderer or anti-agglomeration agent ) are release agents that crystalline substances are added to give priority to avoid for the purpose of better machine usability, the clumping together of the individual crystals. Their use should be avoided, for example, sodium chloride is clumped before or during processing and thus is worse usable. Anti-caking agents may be added both rock salt as well as sea salt.

Table salt

Some anti-caking agents are approved as a food additive for edible salt:

• Calcium carbonate ( E 170, CaCO3, chalk) and magnesium carbonate (E 504, MgCO3, magnesia) are naturally occurring and harmless minerals.
• Natriumhexacyanoferrat ( E 535 ) and potassium (E 536) are often used as anti-caking agents in cheap cheaper salts. In the EU-Eco - regulation, the addition of sodium and potassium is excluded, calcium and magnesium may be used.
• Aluminum silicates (E 559, kaolin) and aluminum hydroxide (Al ( OH) 3), other anti-caking agents approved.
• Silicon dioxide ( SiO2, as E551 or silica declared ) is often used and is chemically straightforward, as colloidal silica.

Technical Applications

For industrial purposes, fumed silica (trade name: Aerosil ®, Cabosil ®, HDK ®) is often used as anti-caking agent. For ion exchanger in dishwashers flow aids can be problematic, the Regeneriersalzen are added.