Marinco^® FCC: A High Purity, Food-Grade Magnesium Oxide

Marinco^® FCC: A High Purity, Food-Grade Magnesium Oxide

Martin Marietta Magnesia Specialties manufactures a food-grade, high-purity magnesium oxide called Marinco^® FCC. Magnesium oxide has many uses in food applications, including:

• Magnesium Supplement
• Anti-Caking Agent
• Powder Mix Desiccant
• Color Retention
• pH Modification

According to the National Institute of Health, magnesium is an important nutrient which is necessary for the body to stay healthy. Magnesium is required for many essential processes in the body, including regulating muscle and nerve function, blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and protein synthesis. According to The Washington Post, “nearly half of all Americans — and 70 to 80 percent of those older than 70 — aren’t meeting their daily magnesium needs." Finally, a review published in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association states that low magnesium levels can make Vitamin D ineffective.

Marinco^® FCC has been used as a source of electrolytes in sports drinks. Electrolytes are essential for proper hydration and muscle contraction, which makes them vital to performance in sports. Magnesium is among the most important electrolytes.

It is becoming increasingly common to fortify dairy products as well as plant-based dairy alternatives with magnesium. The World Health Organization has also recently suggested that the fortification of drinking water with magnesium could be beneficial to public health.

For anti-caking and powder mix desiccant applications, magnesium oxide is useful because of its hygroscopic properties. This means that at room temperature magnesium oxide will absorb a water molecule to protect other ingredients in the formulation from moisture. Anti-caking agents are vital to prevent the formation of clumps in powdered products due to moisture, and allow products such as powdered drink mixes to flow freely for the consumer.

Magnesium oxide is a natural form of alkalinity used in a wide variety of applications around the world. An alkali is a substance which has the ability to neutralize acids, which means that it will tend to increase the pH of a solution. Magnesium oxide has also been used in applications and food manufacturing processes where pH adjustment and control is required. Dutch Cocoa, for example, is processed with an alkali to remove acidity and increase the pH to neutral. This processing results in a more mellow taste as well as a darker color.

Magnesium oxide and magnesium hydroxide may also be used in the canning process of green vegetables, in order to retain color. It is suggested that the alkaline environment created by the presence of magnesium stabilizes the chlorophyll in the vegetable.