Coated DL-Malic Acid
Coated DL-malic acid is food grade racemic malic acid whose crystals have been enclosed in a shell of hydrogenated vegetable oil or a hydrocolloid film, so that the acid is held inert in a dry system until heat or moisture opens the barrier. The core is the standard synthetic DL acid, an equal mixture of the L and D isomers, and the coating is what is actually being bought, since the acid itself is a commodity.
Malic acid is chosen over citric acid where a longer, smoother sourness is wanted. It has a higher acid strength per unit weight, a slower onset and a much longer palate persistence, which is why it dominates in sour confectionery and in beverages sweetened with high intensity sweeteners, where it also helps carry and lengthen the fruit character. Coating that acid extends those advantages to systems where uncoated crystals would cause trouble.
The product is a free flowing white to cream powder or granule, only faintly sour to the tongue because the shell blocks immediate contact. Coating load is typically 10 to 25 percent of a fully hydrogenated fat with a melting point chosen between about 50 and 70 degrees Celsius. In that state the material is essentially non-hygroscopic, which matters more than usual here because uncoated malic acid is markedly more hygroscopic than citric acid and cakes readily in dry blends.
We source bulk Coated DL-Malic Acid from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Hubei. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
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- Function
- Acidulant
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | White to cream free flowing powder or granule |
| Malic Acid Content | 75 to 90 percent, grade dependent |
| Coating Content as Hydrogenated Fat | 10 to 25 percent |
| Release Temperature | 50 to 70 degrees Celsius, declared per grade |
| Free Surface Acid | Not more than 2.0 percent |
| Loss on Drying | Not more than 0.5 percent |
| Fumaric Acid in Core | Not more than 1.0 percent |
| Maleic Acid in Core | Not more than 0.05 percent |
| Particle Size | Not less than 90 percent through 30 mesh |
| Peroxide Value of Coating | Not more than 5 meq per kg |
| Lead | Not more than 1 mg per kg |
| Arsenic | Not more than 1 mg per kg |
| Total Plate Count | Not more than 1000 cfu per g |
| Yeast and Mould | Not more than 100 cfu per g |
Common Markets Grades
The specification is set by the coating rather than by the acid, which is standard 99.5 percent food grade DL-malic acid throughout. Fat coated grades release on heat and are selected by the melting point of the shell, with lower melting coatings used in chilled and fermented products and higher melting ones in baked and fried applications. Hydrocolloid and maltodextrin coated grades release on contact with water and are used where the delay is measured in seconds, as in a chewing gum or an instant beverage powder.
Coating load is the second variable, heavier loads giving a more complete barrier at the cost of diluting the acid and slowing release. Particle size, usually in the 30 to 80 mesh range, is matched to the other components of the dry blend so that the coated granules do not segregate in a hopper and deliver their acid unevenly. A high fines content is treated as a defect, since fines carry a disproportionate share of coating and behave differently from the rest of the lot.
Applications
- Sour coated confectionery and chewy sweets, where the shell keeps the acid from inverting sugar during the cook and from scorching the tongue
- Chewing gum, preventing the acid from degrading the gum base and giving a controlled release of sourness through the chew
- Fermented and dry cured sausage, holding acidification back until the cook so the meat emulsion is not broken during mixing
- Chemically leavened bakery, as the delayed acid partner to sodium bicarbonate for oven rather than bench rise
- Instant drink powders and sports drink sticks, protecting the acid from moisture and from reaction with colours and vitamins
- Dry seasoning blends and marinade mixes, where uncoated malic acid would cake and attack the spice fraction
- Extruded snacks and fried coatings, releasing sourness at the fryer rather than in the dough
- Effervescent tablets, keeping acid and bicarbonate separated through tabletting and storage
- Fruit flavoured fillings and compounds, where a delayed pH drop protects heat sensitive colours
China Manufacturers of Coated DL-Malic Acid
Top Coated DL-Malic Acid manufacturers in China.
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
Regulatory Status
The regulatory position follows the two components. In the United States malic acid is affirmed as generally recognised as safe under 21 CFR 184.1069, with functions given as flavour enhancer, flavouring agent and pH control agent, at levels consistent with good manufacturing practice, and it is excluded from use in infant foods and infant formula under that section. Hydrogenated vegetable oils used as coatings are permitted food fats and maltodextrin is affirmed as generally recognised as safe, so the coated product requires no separate listing and is declared by its constituents.
In the European Union, Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 authorises malic acid as food additive E 296 and permits it quantum satis across most categories but not in foods for infants and young children, with identity and purity criteria set in Regulation (EU) No 231/2012. The coating material is treated as a carrier or as a food ingredient depending on its identity, and hydrogenated vegetable fat used in that role falls under the general rules for carriers in Annex III of the Regulation. JECFA has evaluated malic acid and concluded that a numerical limit is not required, and it is listed in the Codex General Standard for Food Additives as an acidity regulator and flavour enhancer.
Manufacturing Process
The acid core is made first. Industrial DL-malic acid is produced by the catalytic hydration of maleic anhydride, which is itself made by the vapour phase oxidation of butane over a vanadium phosphorus oxide catalyst. The anhydride is hydrolysed to maleic acid, then isomerised and hydrated at elevated temperature and pressure to give a mixture of malic and residual fumaric acid. Fumaric acid is separated by crystallisation and recycled, and the malic acid liquor is decolourised over activated carbon, polished on ion exchange, concentrated under vacuum and crystallised, then centrifuged, dried and milled.
Coating is a separate physical operation. The crystals are screened to a narrow size band, then coated either in a fluid bed of bottom spray design, where molten hydrogenated fat is atomised onto crystals suspended in a warm air stream and builds a continuous shell over successive passes, or by hot melt spray congealing, in which acid is dispersed in molten fat and the slurry atomised into a chilled tower to give a matrix particle. Air and melt temperatures are held above the coating melting point at the nozzle but low enough that the bed does not agglomerate. The coated material is cooled to crystallise the fat fully, sieved to remove agglomerates and fines, tested for release temperature and for free surface acid, and packed into moisture barrier bags.
