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50 Essential Q&As on Food-Grade Adsorbent Silica for Animal/Plant Oils and Beer Applications
The material selectively adsorbs pigments, heavy metals, plasticizers, and oxidation products in oils, while complying with food additive standards such as GB 25576-2020.
I. Basic cognition and core characteristics
1.What is the food grade adsorbent silica used for animal and vegetable oils?
This amorphous silica powder, specifically designed for oil refining, is prepared through precipitation or gas-phase methods. It features precisely controlled pore size distribution (typically 2-50nm) and high specific surface area (150-200m²/g). The material selectively adsorbs pigments, heavy metals, plasticizers, and oxidation products in oils, while complying with food additive standards such as GB 25576-2020. With a purity of ≥99.5%, it ensures optimal performance in industrial applications.
2.What are the special properties of silica used as food grade adsorbent in beer industry?
This silica, known as beer stabilizer, exists in two forms: hydrogel and xerogel. Its core feature is selective adsorption—binding only haze-active proteins (key components causing turbidity through polyphenol reactions) with molecular weights above 40,000 kDa, while leaving 10,000-20,000kDa hydrophobic proteins essential for beer foam stability unaffected.
3.What is the difference between silica, an adsorbent used in oil and beer, and ordinary food-grade silica?
The core difference lies in adsorption targeting: oil-based products focus on pore size matching pigments/heavy metal molecules, with hydrophilic surface modification to enhance adsorption of polar impurities; beer-based products optimize surface charge to specifically recognize hydrophilic turbid proteins, while ordinary food-grade silica only focuses on anti-agglutination and fluidity improvement.
4.What are the key indicators to measure the performance of silica adsorbent for oil?
The key parameters are: ① Specific surface area (optimal range: 150-200 m²/g); ② Pore size distribution (2-10nm for chlorophyll, 10-30nm for heavy metals); ③ Burn reduction (≤5%, indicating purity); ④ Decolorization capacity (≥100 mg/g, measuring pigment removal efficiency).
5.Why is the "moisture content" index of silica adsorbent important for beer?
Direct impact on usage characteristics: Hydrogel containing 60%-70% water requires longer stirring time for dispersion but is low cost; dry gel containing only 5% water is easy to disperse but produces a lot of dust, may reduce the filtration flow rate, and is difficult to dissolve in alkaline solution, affecting filter regeneration.
6.Can food grade adsorbent silica treat all types of animal and vegetable oils?
It can process most categories, including soybean oil, rapeseed oil, olive oil, lard, etc., but targeted selection is required: high acid value oils (such as rice bran oil) need high specific surface area models to enhance acid price control; cold pressed oils (such as extra virgin olive oil) need low adsorption strength models to avoid the loss of flavor substances.
7.What is the difference between the demand for silica adsorbent in craft beer and industrial beer?
Craft beer emphasizes 'flavor retention,' requiring low-dose, highly selective formulations (such as dry gels) to prevent adsorption of hop aroma components. Industrial beer focuses on 'large-scale stability,' utilizing cost-effective hydrogels with continuous filtration processes to enhance efficiency, while complying with regulations like Germany's' Pure Brewing Method.'
8.What impurities can be removed by silica adsorbent in oil besides decolorization?
In addition to pigments (chlorophyll, carotenoids), it can also remove: ① heavy metals (lead, arsenic, etc., through dual effects of ion exchange and adsorption); ② plasticizers (such as DEHP, using microporous retention); ③ oxidation products (aldehydes, ketones, delaying oil rancidity); ④ phospholipids (improving oil transparency).
9.Does the use of adsorbent silica in beer affect the foam and taste?
It has no adverse effects. The system selectively adsorbs hydrophilic macromolecular proteins (≥40,000kDa) associated with turbidity, while leaving hydrophobic proteins (10,000-20,000kDa) that maintain foam stability unaffected. Moreover, it completely removes these proteins during filtration without leaving residual odors or altering the wine's taste.
10.Is the amorphous structure of food-grade silica adsorbent critical for application?
Yes, and this is a regulatory requirement. Crystalline silica may pose health risks, whereas amorphous silica is not only safe (certified by FDA and EFSA), but its porous network structure also provides efficient adsorption channels. The crystalline content must be strictly controlled below 1% to ensure both adsorption performance and safety........
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