| Propionic Acid Product Quality Indicators | |||
| Analysis Items | Indicators | ||
| Food – grade | Industrial – grade | Pharmaceutical – grade | |
| Purity | ≥99.0% (in line with GB 25548 – 2010) | ≥98.0% (General Industrial Standard) | ≥99.5% (USP/EP Standard) |
| Acidity | 99.5 – 100.5% | 98.0 – 101.0% | 99.8 – 100.2% |
| Colour | ≤10 APHA | ≤30 APHA | ≤5 APHA |
| Moisture | ≤0.3% | ≤0.5% | ≤0.1% |
| Heavy Metals (calculated as Pb) | ≤5mg/kg | ≤10mg/kg | ≤1mg/kg |
| Evaporation Residue | ≤0.01% | ≤0.05% | ≤0.005% |
| Chloride (calculated as Cl) | ≤0.001% | ≤0.005% | ≤0.0005% |
| Sulfate (calculated as SO₄) | ≤0.002% | ≤0.01% | ≤0.001% |
| Iron (calculated as Fe) | ≤2ppm | ≤5ppm | ≤1ppm |
Application Scope
1. Organic Synthesis: Used as an esterifying agent to produce propionate esters (such as ethyl propionate/isopentyl propionate for fruit – flavor fragrances), and synthesize propionic anhydride (a pharmaceutical intermediate).
2. Solvents and Plasticizers: A general – purpose solvent for dissolving organic substances; benzyl propionate is used as a plasticizer for cosmetics, and cellulose propionate is used for automotive parts.
3. Metal Processing: Used as a buffer and additive in galvanizing/nickel – plating to improve the bonding force of zinc/cadmium passivation films and adjust the pH of the plating solution to 12.
4. Pickling and Polishing: Used as a component of specific pickling solutions.
5. Food Preservation: Preserves bread/cakes (inhibits microbial deterioration); adding 0.5% calcium propionate to soy sauce extends its shelf life.
6. Feed Preservation: Adding 0.5% propionic acid to green feed prevents mold for 6 months and improves digestibility (accounting for 60% of propionic acid usage in China).
7. Pharmaceutical Intermediate: Synthesizes antibiotics (such as propionate josamycin); calcium propionate ointment is used to treat skin mycosis.
8. Biological Inhibition: Inhibits the growth of mold in insect cell culture.
9. Fragrance Industry: Blended with acetic acid to give butter/dairy products a natural sour taste.
10. Analytical Detection: A gas chromatography standard, used for the determination of aromatic diamines.
11. Additive Production: Propionates are used as leather tanning agents and dye catalysts.
【Label Description】
