Sodium Gluconate

Brief Overview 

Sodium gluconate is a compound with the formula NaC₆H₁₁O₇. It has the E number E576. It is a white to tan, granular to fine, crystalline powder and very soluble in water. Sodium gluconate is non-corrosive, non-toxic and readily biodegradable. Aqueous solutions of sodium gluconate are resistant to oxidation and reduction, even at high temperatures. It has excellent chelating power, especially in alkaline and concentrated alkaline solutions. It forms stable chelates with calcium, iron, copper, aluminium and other heavy metals.

Manufacturing Process

Firstly, calcium gluconate is added into the reaction kettle with sulfuric acid aqueous solution and stirred consistently. After mixing for one hour, allow the mixture to stand for 1 hour and proceed to filter the mixture. The filter residue is CaSO₄ which will be removed. The filtrate is added to the neutralization kettle, and a proper amount of Na₂CO₃ aqueous solution is added to neutralize the filtrate. Lastly, the solution is filtered and left to dry to obtain the sodium gluconate. 

Food Industry 

Sodium gluconate is used in various food products as a preservative and sequestrant. Sodium gluconate is also used in many food products as a nutrition supplement.

Other Applications 

Sodium gluconate is widely used in textile dyeing, printing and metal surface water treatment. It is used as a chelating agent, a steel surface cleaning agent, a cleaning agent for glass bottles, and a chelating agent for cement, plating and alumina dyeing industries. It is also used in personal care products, paper and leather.