Replacing Sodium with Potassium Bicarbonate in Baked Goods

02 Dec 2014 --- Managing Director of Kudos Blends, Dinnie Jordan is due to share her thoughts on potassium-based leavening agents at the upcoming Campden BRI seminar, ‘Salt reduction targets in bakery goods’.

Jordan’s talk will analyse the 2017 Responsibility Deal targets alongside the views of the Department of Health to discover what the true position on potassium based ingredients is and what this means for industrial bakers.

The UK Department of Health does not recommend replacing sodium with potassium-based ingredients for two main reasons, chiefly, because of a potential health risk to people with undiagnosed kidney problems. The other issue is that they want consumers to become used to a less salty taste.

However, Kudos argues that its potassium bicarbonate products for baked goods such as muffins, scones, crumpets and biscuits do not carry such risks. 

“The amount of potassium increase in consumer diets through using our product is nowhere near the amount that could cause a health risk. For example, the amount of potassium in one muffin would be around one quarter of that in an average banana,” said Kudos. “The use of potassium bicarbonate should not be thought of in the same way as potassium chloride and each potassium-based ingredient should be treated individually.”

Providing industry examples, Jordan will demonstrate why the marginal increase of potassium should be promoted rather than discouraged. Throughout the talk Jordan will touch on the product information surrounding KUDOS Potassium Bicarbonate and reveal why this should be recommended as the obvious choice for sodium reduction in chemically leavened goods.