Ingredient profile: glucono delta lactone

The food industry uses GdL above all for its slowed acid action, which is why it goes into baking powders as an acid carrier, like cream of tartar. There it makes doughs rise more slowly and more evenly.

The acidification is slowed because GdL only lowers the pH once it has turned back into gluconic acid. That usually takes a little while and can be influenced by the properties of the individual food.

GdL also supports antioxidants and preservatives in their action, because it secures the desired pH in the food, and it is a natural curing aid. Curing aids are substances used in sausage making to “redden” the meat. They help keep sausage and ham a nice pink instead of turning grey.

GdL is also popular in sausage production because a late drop in pH stabilises the colour well and has a preserving effect, while at the same time avoiding a “breaking” of the meat batter through an early pH drop.
“Breaking” of the batter means that the fat and water emulsion in the raw sausage mass separates and fat and jelly can settle out.

GdL is also used to clean pipework in dairies and breweries, because it helps prevent deposits of milkstone and beerstone.

Milkstone is a form of deposit that can form out of biological and mineral residues in milk production.
A similar form of deposit is beerstone, which is calcium oxalate and can form in kettles and pipes during brewing. Picture it a bit like limescale on your taps.

GdL is used for colour stabilisation as well. We just had the example with sausage products, where GdL helps keep the red colour of the meat, but colour can be stabilised with GdL in other foods too. Colour stabilisation means that the substances used do not have the ability to colour food, but can strengthen and preserve the colour that is there.

Glucono delta lactone is a versatile natural compound used in the production of baked goods, tinned fruit and vegetables, sausage products and also desserts and yoghurts.