L-Malic acid (L-hydroxy succinic acid) is an important natural organic acid, widely distributed in plants, animals, and microbial cells. L-Malic acid is a tetracarbonic acid. Because of its chiral structure, it generally exists in the following three forms, namely D-malic acid, DL-malic acid, and L-malic acid. All malic acids in nature are L-malic acids. L-malic acid has antioxidant, anti-fatigue, and enhanced absorption functions, making it a popular product and used in many fields of food and medicine.
Function of malic acid
Acidity regulator
Drinks prepared with L-malic acid are sweet and sour, close to the flavor of natural fruit juice. Malic acid and citric acid can simulate the sour characteristics of natural fruits, making the taste more natural, harmonious, and full. Malic acid can be added to refreshing drinks, powdered drinks, lactic acid drinks, milk drinks, and fruit juice drinks to improve their taste and flavor. Malic acid is often used in combination with the artificial dipeptide sweetener aspartame as a flavor fixer for soft drinks.
Preservatives
Malic acid can be widely used as a food preservative. Malic acid is ionized under neutral conditions but not under acidic conditions. However, its bactericidal ability under acidic conditions is more than 100 times greater than that under neutral conditions. This is mainly because organic acids in a molecular state are more likely to penetrate cell membranes, while acids in an ionic state are not easy to penetrate cells. In addition, malic acid can also promote the thermal denaturation of proteins.
Gelating effect
When there is a certain amount of pectin and sugar, acid is the key condition for gel formation. To prevent flocculation and clots in the production of concentrated juice, it is necessary to control the conditions of coagulation caused by pectin. Therefore, L-malic acid can make pectin gel, so it can be used to make fruit cakes, jelly gel jams purees, etc.
 |
 |
Pasta Strengthener
L-malic acid has a strengthening effect on pasta. It can increase the disulfide groups in gluten protein, enlarge protein molecules, form a macromolecular network structure, and enhance the air permeability, elasticity, and toughness of the dough. In addition, flour contains cysteine and cystine, both of which are protease activators. L-malic acid can make these two substances lose the ability to activate protease and prevent protease from decomposing the protein in flour. In addition, flour can be bleached to improve the bonding effect of protein.
Salt Reduction Effect
L-malic acid can be used to make salty foods and reduce the amount of salt. For example, sodium malate has moderate saltiness and can often be used to make salty foods. Malic acid can form many derivatives. In recent years, Japan has successfully applied malate to sugar-reducing and salt-reducing foods. When malic acid is used instead of salt to soak pickles, its saltiness is only 1/5~1/7 of salt, but the soaking effect is twice that of salt. At the same time, it can be used as a salt substitute for patients with nephritis. Adding malic acid calcium salt to soy milk can effectively improve its taste and flavor.
Color protection effect
The color tone of the pigments contained in fruits and vegetables is easily affected by pH. In some color change reactions, acid usually plays an important role. For example, chlorophyll will turn into yellow-brown pheophytin in acidic conditions, anthocyanin will gradually change from red to purple when it changes from acidic to neutral, and tannin will form pink "red powder" under acidic conditions. Therefore, L-malic acid can be used as a color preservative for some foods, such as a natural fruit dew color preservative.
 |
 |
Antioxidant
L-malic acid has a good antioxidant capacity. The oxidation of lipids in food will lead to rancidity, protein destruction, and pigment oxidation, which will reduce the sensory properties of food, reduce nutritional value, and shorten shelf life. Adding food antioxidants can delay oxidation, extend shelf life, and maintain the color, aroma, and nutritional value of food.
Application of L-malic acid
Application in the food industry
L-malic acid tastes close to the sour taste of natural apples. Compared with citric acid, it has high acidity, soft taste, long retention time, does not damage the mouth and teeth, is physiologically beneficial to the absorption of amino acids, does not accumulate fat, and belongs to a new generation of food acidulants. It is praised by the biological and nutritional circles as "the most ideal food acidulants" and is one of the organic acids with the largest usage and good development prospects in the world's food industry.
When a certain amount of pectin and sugar are mixed, acid is the key condition for gelation. In the production of concentrated juice, to prevent flocculation and clots, the amount of acid substances is generally controlled. Therefore, malic acid can be used to make fruit cakes, jelly gel jams purees, and other foods by making use of the characteristic that pectin can produce gel. In the production of food and beverages in Europe, America, and Japan, malic acid has become one of the indispensable basic raw materials. Health drinks can be developed by using malic acid's anti-fatigue, liver, kidney, and heart protection effects.
Adding L-malic acid to food can adjust the pH. In addition to its antibacterial effect, L-malic acid is also widely used in other food industries, such as a preservative for aquatic products. In addition, malic acid has the function of maintaining the color of natural juice, and can also be used as an auxiliary agent for pectin extraction; an agent for promoting the growth of motherwort; an emulsifier stabilizer for preparing salt-free soy sauce, and vinegar, improving the flavor of pickled vegetables, and margarine, egg yolk substitute, etc., and is widely used in various preservatives, seasonings, and other compound additives.
Application in the pharmaceutical industry
Due to the special position of malic acid in the material metabolism pathway, it can directly participate in human metabolism and be directly absorbed by the human body, providing energy to the body in a short time, eliminating fatigue, and playing the role of anti-fatigue and rapid recovery of physical strength. Adding malic acid to drugs can increase their stability and promote the absorption and diffusion of drugs in the human body; the production of compound amino acid infusion uses L-malic acid to adjust the pH value by using this function, and as one of the components of mixed amino acid infusion, it can improve the utilization rate of amino acids.
Application in other industries
Malic acid has antioxidant and strong chelating effects. As a color preservative and synergist, it is widely used in the dye industry; in the chemical industry, because malic acid can adjust the pH value, it can be used as a flavoring agent for toothpaste and tobacco, a skin cleanser, a solder flux, a detergent, a waste gas desulfurized, a boiler scale cleaner, an air cleaner, and a deodorant, especially to remove fish odor, cigarette odor and odor in the food storage room, and can also replace citric acid as a rust remover for various metal surfaces or containers. Malic acid is a monomer for preparing polymers with special properties. Malic acid polymerization can be used to synthesize biodegradable plastics, which is beneficial to environmental protection. In the building materials industry, malic acid is added to cement to shorten the solidification time, prevent alkaline polymerization reactions, and increase the strength of concrete. It can also replace oxalic acid as a surface cleaning agent for various stones, making their surfaces smooth, flat, and beautiful. In addition, malic acid can also be used as a feed additive. For example, feed containing 0.4% sodium malate can increase the weight of chickens by 12%.
HSF Biotech's L-malic acid powder
HSF Biotech's malic acid powder uses advanced Functional solid microcapsule technology, which can:
1. Improve stability: Through embedding technology, malic acid is more effectively protected, allowing it to maintain stable properties under various environmental conditions and extending the shelf life of the product.
2. Improve the taste: Malic acid has a unique sour taste. Through encapsulation technology, the release speed and degree of malic acid can be controlled to make it more evenly distributed in the product, thereby improving the taste and flavor of the product.
3. Improve bioavailability: Embedding malic acid can better protect its molecular structure, making it easier to be absorbed and utilized in the human body.
4. Ease of processing and application: Embedded malic acid has better fluidity and dispersion, making it easier to add and mix during food processing and preparation.
For more details, please contact us:
Email: sales@healthfulbio.com
Whatsapp: +86 18992720900