Food Processing

Silica safety

Amorphous silicas are chemically inert and do not affect the color, taste, or aroma of food products. This makes them ideal for food applications.

Grace’s SYLOID^® and PERKASIL^® silicas are compliant with the test requirements for silicon dioxide as described in the latest editions of the Food Chemicals Codex (FCC), the EU Commission Regulation No. 231/2012 (E 551), and the latest edition of Japan's Specifications and Standards for Food Additives (D325).

Solutions for consumers and pets

Formulators in the sports and nutrition, flavors and extracts, herbs and spices, condiments, pet food, and animal feed markets turn to Grace’s unique functional excipients to achieve fortification, flavor retention, anti-caking, flow improvement, and viscosity modification.

Skip to flow improvement and anti-caking

Fortification and flavor retention

The fortification of energy bars, powders, pet food, beverages, and other products often requires producing a powder from vitamins and micronutrients most commonly found in liquid form or which require liquid stabilizers to improve their bioavailability.

Grace’s SYLOID^®XDP silica enables nutraceutical formulators to achieve a solid dosage form with liquid ingredients. This porous carrier absorbs liquids allowing them to be conveniently processed into solid forms, known as liquisolid formulation.

SYLOID^® XDP silica Features	Performance benefits
High pore volume  Extraordinary bulk density  High purity silica gel  Narrow particle size distribution  Strong particle integrity	Maximum loading capacity and filling amount  Regulatory compliance  Excellent release and bioavailability  Superior stability  Ease of processing

In addition, loss of flavor can happen when products such as extracts, herbs, spices, and flavored powders are exposed to oxygen. Grace’s SYLOID^® 244 FP silica can help retain flavor by minimizing and reducing oxidation.

Flow improvement and anti-caking

Food ingredients may greatly differ in nature and physical behavior, for example, high carbohydrate containing food ingredients tend to clump due to their intrinsic hygroscopicity. Clumping or caking is common in oily food and feed ingredients causing bad flow conditions and distribution. Regardless if in bulk or powdered form, keeping food ingredients from caking during processing and storage is critical to providing a quality product to your customer. Grace’s SYLOID^®and PERKASIL^® silicas are particularly suited for formulating powder-based food and nutraceutical products.

SYLOID^® and PERKASIL^®silicas can act as anti-caking and free-flow agents and serve the following functions:

Prevent clumping
Prevent packing of particles and act as a physical barrier upon compaction
Coat and smooth the edges of bulk powders reducing inter-particle friction
Maintain free-flow behavior
Improve processability and homogeneity
Control moisture
Rheology control
Carrier
Controlled release
In general, extend the shelf life of powdered feed products and ingredients

Viscosity modification

Many processed foods use a variety of ingredients to modify their viscosity or texture. These ingredients include texturizers, thickeners, viscosity modifiers, gelling agents, and stiffening agents and give the food technology formulator a range of tools to provide the desired texture and thickness to food products the consumer desires.

Our SYLOID^®and PERKASIL^®silicas can be used as effective viscosity modifying agents to help achieve the desired texture or thickness in food products. They can also be used to convert liquids to gels, pastes, or powders for food or dietary supplement formulations.