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What are the applications of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose in the food industry?
Nov 19, 2025Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose (CMC) is a "multifunctional additive" in the food industry. Its core functions are thickening, stabilizing, emulsifying, and retaining moisture. It is widely used in various categories such as beverages, dairy products, baking, and convenience foods. Specific scenarios are as follows:
1. Beverage category: Stabilizing the taste + preventing stratification
Carbonated beverages / fruit juice beverages: As a stabilizer, it prevents the sedimentation of fruit pulp and pigments in the juice, ensuring uniform texture of the beverage and avoiding the situation of "clear liquid on the top and sediment at the bottom" after standing; it can also increase the viscosity of the beverage, making the taste smoother.
Milk tea / plant protein beverages (soy milk, coconut milk): Prevents the separation of milk liquid and tea soup, as well as protein and water, allowing the ingredients like pearls and coconut balls to be evenly suspended, while locking in moisture and preventing the beverage from thickening or clumping due to evaporation.
Sports drinks / functional drinks: Adjusts the rheological properties of the beverage to evenly distribute electrolytes (such as sodium and potassium), making the taste more refreshing and without a gritty sensation.
2. Dairy products category: Optimizing texture + extending shelf life
Yogurt / lactic acid bacteria beverages: As a thickening and stabilizing agent, it keeps yogurt with a delicate and thick texture, preventing the separation of whey (the surface pale yellow liquid); it also enhances the gel strength of yogurt, making the texture more dense and less prone to thinning when refrigerated.
Ice cream / ice cakes: Reduces ice crystal growth and minimizes ice crystal formation, making the texture of ice cream smoother and more dense, and less likely to break when scooped; it also enhances the product's resistance to melting, remaining "thin soup" at room temperature for a short period of time without melting.
Cheese / cream products: Improves the extensibility and slicing performance of cheese, making the whipped cream more stable and less prone to foaming, suitable for cake decoration to maintain the shape.
3. Baking category: Enhancing toughness + retaining moisture
Bread / rolls: Adding it to the dough can enhance the water retention and elasticity of the dough, making the internal air pockets more uniform and the texture softer and elastic; it also delays the aging and hardening of the bread, extending its shelf life, and even after 2-3 days of storage, it is not likely to become dry and hard.
Cake / cookies: Increases the viscosity and stability of the batter, preventing the batter from flowing and deforming during baking, making the cake texture more delicate and fluffy; in cookies, it can improve the crispiness, preventing the cookies from getting soggy and soft.
Filling (mooncake filling, bread filling): As a thickening agent, it makes the filling (such as bean paste filling, lotus seed paste filling) have a moderate viscosity, not flowing, and easier to form when wrapped, while locking in the moisture of the filling, preventing cracking.
4. Convenience food category: Improving taste + optimizing shape
Instant noodles / dried noodles: Adding it to the dough can enhance the toughness and durability of the noodles, making them less likely to break or form a thick soup when cooked, and having a more tender and elastic texture; it also makes the surface of the noodles smoother, reducing sticking.
Frozen foods (dumplings, tamales): Improves the water retention and extensibility of the dumpling wrappers and tamales, preventing them from cracking or breaking due to water loss during freezing; it is less likely to break during cooking, and the texture is softer and more elastic.
Sauces / salad dressings: As a thickening and emulsifying agent, it makes the sauce (such as tomato sauce, salad dressing) have a uniform texture, not separating, and adheres better to the ingredients, making the taste more rich.
5. Other foods: Improving texture + enhancing flavor
Jelly / pudding: Used in combination with carrageenan and pectin, it regulates the hardness and elasticity of jelly, making the taste more Q, smooth, and elastic, while enhancing the stability of the gel, not melting or losing water for a long time.
Meat products (ham sausages, meatballs): As a water-retaining agent and adhesive, it locks in the moisture of meat, making the meat products more firm and juicy, avoiding dryness and hardening during heating; it also keeps the meat pieces, starch, and other raw materials firmly bonded, making the pieces less likely to fall apart when cut.
Preserves / fruit preserves: Improves the flexibility of fruit preserves, prevents the finished product from cracking or falling off, and locks in some moisture, making the taste softer and retaining the flavor of the fruit.
Key usage characteristics Food-grade CMC-Na has high safety. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have approved its daily allowable intake (ADI) without any restrictions. As long as it is added in the prescribed dosage, it is harmless to the human body.
It has a wide range of applications. It can be used in acidic, neutral and alkaline foods, and has good heat resistance, which can adapt to the cooking and baking processes in food processing.
If you are interested in sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), we are GNF. Please feel free to contact us.
