Special salts: functional, versatile and high quality

The range of functional foods and beverages is increasing and, with it, the demand for water-soluble minerals with high bioavailability is constantly growing. Whether it’s for a vitamin drink in the morning or for a liquid meal replacement when you’re in a hurry, mineral salts can be used to enrich food with minerals. But not all mineral salts are the same. In this focus report, we discuss the biggest differences between the salts in terms of solubility, flavour, bioavailability, and potential applications.

What are special salts, and how are they special?

Special salts, also known as functional minerals, are compounds made from citric acid, lactic acid, or gluconic acid. These fully reacted products are created by neutralizing the above-mentioned acids with appropriate alkaline mineral sources. The organic minerals thus produced stand out for their high bioavailability and have excellent properties for being used in a wide range of applications in foods, beverages, and dietary supplements.

Alongside their technological advantages, these mineral salts are also characterized by the sustainable process in which they are made. The acids are produced by natural fermentation from renewable raw materials, and their production in Europe enables short transport routes and a reliable supply chain.

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What special salts are available, and where are they used?

Calcium salts

Tricalcium citrate offers a neutral flavour profile combined with a high calcium content of 21%. It comes in a variety of particle sizes for the most convenient use in a range of applications from enriched fruit gummies and baby foods to direct sticks.

Calcium lactate combines with calcium gluconate to produce calcium lactate gluconate, which is ideal for beverages, effervescent tablets, and dietary supplements. Even at high dosages, it has a neutral flavour profile and excellent solubility.

Magnesium salts

Trimagnesium citrate comes most commonly in two forms, anhydrous and nonahydrate, which are primarily used for fortifying food and beverages. The anhydrous variant has excellent and rapid solubility, which, combined with excellent flow, makes it popular for applications such as dietary supplements and baby foods. The nonahydrate variant is used mainly in direct sticks, gummies, or powdered meal replacements, due to its lower hygroscopicity.

Monomagnesium citrate is an organic magnesium salt with rapid solubility and high bioavailability, which serves simultaneously as a magnesium source and an acidifier. It has a fresh taste and therefore gets used in instant applications in place of citric acid and trimagnesium citrate.

Magnesium lactate is also often used as a source of magnesium in foods, beverages, and dietary supplements. With its high solubility, it is ideal for producing mineral-enriched liquid products.

Potassium salts

The highly soluble tripotassium citrate can be used in foods and beverages not only as a buffer salt but also for salt reduction, potassium enrichment, as an emulsifying salt, and as a stabilizer. It is ideal for sodium-free pH control in low-sodium dietary products. As a complexing agent, it binds cations such as calcium, magnesium and heavy metals, improves stability during processing, heat treatment and storage, and is recommended for many different applications.

Potassium gluconate can be used as an alternative to sodium salts in foods and as a potassium supplement in dietary products. It is characterized by its anhydrous, non-hygroscopic form as well as its slightly alkaline and highly soluble properties. It is therefore recommended for applications in which excellent flow behaviour or good tabletting properties are required.

Zinc salts

Organic zinc citrate is frequently used in functional foods, infant nutrition, and dietary supplements. As a fully reacted and nutritionally functional chelate of zinc and citrate, it impresses with a high zinc content of 31% and a virtually neutral taste.

Zinc lactate is ideal for fortifying food and beverages. It offers high bioavailability and a virtually neutral taste.

Zinc gluconate is used primarily as a source of minerals in functional foods, sports nutrition, beverages, and dietary supplements. Thanks to its excellent solubility, it is ideal for liquid and powder applications. As an organic source of zinc with high bioavailability, it is often preferred to inorganic alternatives.