Chelating Agents (Sequestering Agents) Preventing Canned Sea Food Spoilage

Anil Kumar Saini1, Aman Paul1, Sajan Palanchoke1, Sachin Kumar Verma2 anil.cdfst@gmail.com 1 M.Tech. Food Tech., Department of Food Process Engineering, VSAET, SHIATS, Allahabad 2 M.Sc. Dairy Technology, Department of Dairy Technology, WSFDT, SHIATS, Allahabad

Trace metals in foods comes naturally from plants, animal tissues, processing water and processing equipments. Sea foods come in contact with the trace metals like copper, zinc and tin in the food chain before it is harvested. During canning, additionally iron comes in contact with the foods via the processing equipments. Trace amounts of soluble iron, copper, and other metals can degrade the quality, shelf-life, and nutritional value. They tends to combine with the food components to cause discoloration, rancidity, off-flavors, and off-odors. Chelating agents like EDTA complexes with those metals (complex being called, the chelate) and immobilizes the metal ion. This prevents the ions from reacting with other components in the food products. As a result, such undesirable reactions in foods are inhibited. The EDTA at remarkably low concentrations, forms highly stable complexes with metal ions. EDTA bonds with the multiple reactive sites on a metal ion. This blocks the reactive sites of the metal ions. Hence, completely deactivating the ions. The light, heat and pH stability of EDTA make them highly effective metal ion control agents under typical food conditions, most commonly associated with food processing operations. EDTA also provides high stability to food systems containing metal ions, prevent oxidation, degradation, and trace metal catalyzed reactions in foods.

Chelating Agents
Chelating agents Combine with metal ions and remove them from their sphere of action. Some ligands can bond to a metal atom using more than two pairs of electrons.

Ethylene Diammine Tetra Acetate EDTA the most commonly used Chelating agents is Effective at remarkably low concentrations and is stable up to 400F, So the metal remains complex under the temperature conditions associated with the food processing operations.

In canned seafood, naturally high levels of copper, zinc, tin, and iron combine with organics to cause discoloration, rancidity, off-flavors, and off-odors. The formation of struvite crystals (magnesium ammonium phosphate) in canned sea foods results from high concentrations of magnesium.

Chelating agents complexing metal ions

Chelat e

High level of Cu, Zn, Tn, I

Combine with Organics

Immobilize metal ion & prevent it from reacting from reacting with other component s

Soluble trace metal in aqueous component of food exists as + charged ion having a number of reactive sites Copper and iron ions, having either four or six reactive sites

Conditional stability constants verses PH for iron complexes with EDTA, Citrate and Pyrophosphate

EDTA molecules block up to six reactive sites on a metal ion

Reduced Shelf life

In canned seafood, naturally high levels of copper, zinc, tin, and iron combine with organics to cause discoloration, rancidity, off-flavors, and off-odors.

Chelating agents inhibit undesirable reactions in foods by complexing metal ions. The resulting structure, called a chelate, immobilizes the metal ion and prevents it from reacting with other components in the system

Deactivating the ions completely

Preventing spoilage

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For further details Anil Saini anil.cdfst@gmail.com

Soluble trace metals in the aqueous component of foods exist as positively charged ions. Each of these ions has a number of coordination sites(reactive sites). Copper and iron ions, often have either four or six reactive sites. EDTA molecule can block up to six reactive sites on a metal ion, completely deactivating the ion.

Conditional stability constants verses PH for copper complexes with EDTA, Citrate and Pyrophosphate

I would like to acknowledge Ewing Christian College, Conference organizing committee. Dr. Justin Masih, Er. B.R. Shakya ( Head of Department, Department of Food Process Engineering, SHIATS Allahabad), Aman Paul, Sajan Palanchoke, Sachin Verma, Kunal Rathi and my family.

National Conference on "Chemistry: Role and Challenges