Processing potassium

The two versions of dipotassium phosphate, in brown and white forms, plus a potassium chloride, are the latest introduction to Balchem's Vitashure microencapsulated product line. 'These microencapsulated ingredients overcome the common processing challenges that manufacturers often encounter when incorporating these minerals into products,' the company said in a statement this week. The recent launches are on the back of the generally held belief that dipotassium phosphate and potassium chloride are known for an unpleasant taste that can impact the quality of the end product. Dipotassium phosphate is also highly hygroscopic and picks up moisture from the surrounding environment, as well as other ingredients, which can cause clumping and other processing challenges. "Potassium is a highly sought after ingredient for fortification even though manufacturers have long struggled with the negative impact that potassium has on the end product," said Vernetta Dally, applications manager for Balchem Encapsulates . Through its proprietary microencapsulation technology, Balchem applies a layer of a coating material to dipotassium phosphate and potassium chloride to stabilise and protect them during processing, and to mask any undesirable flavours. Pushing the benefits, the company said that 'unlike other encapsulation systems that often generate a high portion of agglomerates, Balchem's fluid-bed microencapsulation technology yields evenly coated, discrete particles that flow freely and mix uniformly in food systems'. Balchem Encapsulates is part of the Balchem corporation, a US company that trades on the US stock exchange. It had sales of $60 million in 2002 and posted earnings of $7.4 million up from $5.1 million in 2001.

Processing potassium

Balchem Encapsulates used the FiE exhibition in Frankfurt last week as a platform to launch three microencapsulated forms of potassium for the food and supplement markets to combat processing challenges, the company claimed.

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