Ingredient Information

Function

Baking soda is the common name for the compound sodium bicarbonate. It is used in baking as a leavening agent to make batter and dough rise and to give a fluffy texture. Baking soda, when combined with an acidic liquid, reacts to produce carbon dioxide. In baking, this release of carbon dioxide in batter or dough makes it rise and lighten. Without baking soda, items like muffins, cakes and pancakes would turn out unpalatably tough and hard. Baking soda can also be used as a meat tenderizer and to add crispness to batter used in deep frying.

Baking soda is not the same as baking powder, although they are both used as leavening agents. Baking powder contains sodium bicarbonate, but it also has an acid component, so it produces the same effect in non-acidic batters.

Other Use and Industries

Baking soda or sodium bicarbonate can be used to put out a small fire, especially an electric fire where you don’t want to use water. In laboratories it’s kept on hand because it’s a neutralizer for acids and bases. It is used in medicine to treat metabolic acidosis (too much acidity) in a number of applications including the treatment of renal failure, kidney stones, and aspirin overdose.

Sodium bicarbonate can be used in organic farming as a bio-pesticide for fungus. Baking soda can be used for increasing the alkalinity in water. Some people do this for drinking but it can also be used in pools where the chlorine level is too high to bring down the acid level. Baking soda, because it is mildly coarse, can be used for brushing teeth. It is often added to toothpastes as a cleaner. It can be made into a paste with 3% hydrogen peroxide to make a fluoride-free toothpaste and mild whitener.

Because it absorbs odor, an open container of baking soda is often left in the back of refrigerators to absorb any smells. Also, it can be added to cat litter to neutralize odors. It can be added as a softener and odor remover to dirty laundry loads. Baking Soda when diluted, can remove tea and coffee stains from ceramic and glass tea mugs. It can be too corrosive for cleaning certain things like stainless steel and other surfaces. The popular Arm & Hammer brand has extended its brand in the past decade to include toothpaste, laundry detergent, and cat litter additive. Sodium Bicarbonate reduces stomach acid and is sold as antacids. It’s also in popular brands for stomachaches such as Alka-Seltzer.

Health Effects

Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, actually occurs naturally in the body as a product of biochemical processes. It is important as a buffer against acidity in the body. While the compound itself is used in many health applications, there are no specific health effects of consuming it as an ingredient in food. One recent study found that a daily dose of baking soda helped to slow the decline of kidney function in some patients with advanced chronic kidney disease.

Baking soda can be good for tooth health and cleaning agent for teeth. A small percentage of people are allergic to sodium bicarbonate in which case an allergic reaction may occur. It is possible to ingest too much sodium bicarbonate, in a case of over consumption or overdosing on sodium bicarbonate the person will get muscle soreness, gas, nausea, and black stools.

Origins

Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is commercially produced in chemical reactions using salt (sodium chloride), ammonia and carbon dioxide. Sodium bicarbonate occurs as a natural mineral called nahcolite. It is a component of the mineral natron, which can be found in natural spring mineral water. Sodium bicarbonate also occurs naturally in the human body as a product of biochemical processes.