Minerals

Two uses sit side by side. Calcium Citrate, Calcium Lactate, Magnesium Citrate and Tricalcium Phosphate are fortification salts, chosen for how much elemental mineral they carry and how the rest of the molecule behaves. Sodium Acetate, Sodium Lactate and Calcium Acetate are functional salts used for acidity control, shelf life and water binding.

Elemental content is the first comparison and it varies widely, from roughly thirteen per cent calcium in calcium lactate to around twenty one per cent in calcium citrate and thirty eight per cent in tricalcium phosphate. Solubility is the second. Citrates and lactates dissolve and suit beverages, while tricalcium phosphate is insoluble and is used in powders and as an anticaking agent. Hydration state is the third and is easy to overlook, since anhydrous sodium acetate and Sodium Acetate Trihydrate differ in assay and in dosing, and the trihydrate cakes more readily in humid storage.