Edible alkali refers to soda ash (sodium carbonate) (chemical formula Na2CO3) and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) (chemical formula NaHCO3) which are different from industrial alkali. They are solid, round, white and soluble in water. Baking soda is the finished product after absorbing carbon dioxide from soda solution or crystal, and there is no essential difference between them. So edible alkali is also called baking soda (powder) in some places.

Edible alkali is solid, round, white and easily soluble in water. Alkali is not a common condiment, but a kind of food swelling agent and meat tenderizer, which can make dry raw materials swell rapidly, soften fibers and remove the sour taste of dough. Proper use can bring excellent color, fragrance, taste and shape to food, thus increasing people's appetite. Alkali is widely used in the processing of noodles, bread, steamed bread and other foods.

Specific role:

1. In the process of fermentation, microorganisms will produce acid, and the dough will turn sour after it is initiated. It is necessary to add edible alkali (carbonate) to react with acid to make delicious pasta;

2. Eating alkali can neutralize organic acids or sulfides attached to dark green vegetables due to excessive spraying of pesticides, thus preserving the original color of vegetables and removing the pollution of pesticides on vegetables;

3. Eating alkali has a strong degreasing effect, which can remove excess grease from oily dry raw materials;

4. Eating alkali can release nicotinic acid which is not easy to release in corn, so that people who eat corn for a long time will not suffer from boils due to the lack of nicotinic acid in corn;

It should be noted that edible alkali has a strong destructive effect on vitamins b 1, b2 and vitamin C in food, and also affects the absorption and utilization of certain minerals by human body, so it is not suitable for abuse.