By Eben van Tonder, 19 November 2025
A complete review of mechanisms and applications with reference to the role of phosphates, Sodium Bicarbonate and current Codex considerations
Introduction
My work with sodium bicarbonate spans several continents and applications, from grilled chicken in Lagos to sheep casing preparation and tenderising interventions in beef and pork. The interest sharpened after reading the work of Massimiliano Petracci on the use of bicarbonate in poultry to increase pH, improve water retention and enhance texture. This prompted a detailed investigation into the chemistry behind bicarbonate in meat, its relationship to phosphates, the regulatory environment, and a full cataloguing of practical uses.
A conversation with the Managing Director of one of the plants I consult to sharpened this interest further. He pointed me towards an image from Asian cuisine where shredded meat carried a shine almost like a glaze. This visual memory was later linked to Korean barbecue beef Bulgogi, where a small amount of sodium bicarbonate is used in some kitchens to produce a softer texture and deeper browning.
I wrote an article about bicarbonate as a tenderiser. Following publication a member of the Canadian Meat Processing Association contacted me to say that he had used it for years and never even washed it off after treatment. The reaction to my suggestion that thin sheep casings could be soaked in bicarbonate before sliding them over the filler horn showed that the industry has strong views on this ingredient. Some feared serious damage to casings. All of this demanded a scientific clarification.
This article gathers the biochemistry, the practical implications and the regulatory boundaries in a structured review suitable for technical readers and decision makers in the meat industry.
1 The biochemistry and mechanisms
1.1 Chemical identity
Sodium bicarbonate is sodium hydrogen carbonate with the formula NaHCO3. In aqueous solution it acts as a mild alkaline buffer. When added to meat it raises surface or internal pH depending on whether it is applied as a rub, marinade, injection or brine component.
Bicarbonate, written chemically as HCO₃⁻, carries only one negative charge which gives it much weaker chelating strength than the true carbonate ion CO₃²⁻. It is called bicarbonate because it contains one hydrogen atom attached to the carbonate group, making it the hydrogen carbonate form of the carbonate family. In meat systems HCO₃⁻ behaves mainly as a mild alkali and buffer, raising pH gently rather than binding divalent ions or driving strong structural changes in myofibrillar proteins. Because this alkaline shift is limited and does not suppress microbial growth, oxidative reactions or endogenous spoilage enzymes, HCO₃⁻ has no preservative effect and is not classified as a preservative in any regulatory framework.
1.2 Alkaline shift and effect on muscle proteins
pH and charge of myofibrillar proteins
Myofibrillar proteins hold water best when they are moved away from their isoelectric point. Raising pH increases the net negative charge on actin and myosin which forces the filaments apart and increases the available space for water. This is identical in direction to the effect produced by phosphates but achieved by a different chemical pathway.
Water holding capacity
By raising pH sodium bicarbonate increases the hydration shell of proteins. It produces a looser structure around the thick and thin filaments allowing ionic and bound water to stay within the fibre system during cooking. Massimiliano Petracci documented this effect clearly in poultry breast meat, noting that even a slight upward pH shift improves yield and texture.
1.3 Protein unfolding and tenderising
Sodium bicarbonate weakens electrostatic interactions within the myofibrillar lattice and partially disrupts hydrogen bonding. This leads to increased spacing between filaments, reducing shear force. It is not a proteolytic tenderiser. Instead it modifies the structural environment in which muscle fibres exist.
1.4 Browning chemistry and bicarbonate
A higher pH environment accelerates Maillard reactions. This is why grilled chicken treated with a small amount of bicarbonate browns faster and more evenly. It increases the proportion of available amino groups that participate in Maillard precursors. The mechanism is well known from baking science and applies equally to meat surfaces.
1.5 Effect on connective tissue
Collagen solubility increases with pH. However the degree of effect is limited compared with long slow cooking or enzymatic tenderising. Bicarbonate softens the matrix around collagen but does not cleave collagen itself. The main textural advantage therefore comes from the myofibrillar part of meat rather than the stromal proteins.
1.6 Comparison with phosphates
Phosphates raise pH but they also perform additional functions.
Chelation of calcium and magnesium
Phosphate chelates divalent ions which stabilise actomyosin bonds. Removing these ions increases protein extractability. Sodium bicarbonate lacks this chelating capacity.
Formation of phosphate soluble proteins
When myofibrillar proteins unfold in the presence of phosphates they become soluble in salt phosphate buffers. This increases protein extraction and allows the formation of strong gel networks. These gel networks bind water and fat effectively and improve slicing, cohesion and texture. Sodium bicarbonate cannot solubilise myofibrillar proteins in this manner.
Emulsion stability
Phosphates improve emulsion stability through protein extraction and calcium chelation. Bicarbonate does not produce strong emulsifying systems on its own.
1.7 Which is better
The answer depends on the intended effect.
Phosphates
Strong protein extraction
Strong gel strength
Strong water retention
Improved slicing and cohesiveness
Chelation of calcium and functional ions
Better for restructured and emulsified products
Sodium bicarbonate
Improves pH and tenderness
Improves surface browning
Improves juiciness in simple marinated items
Useful where phosphate limits apply
Useful where phosphate flavour notes are undesirable
Useful where a clean label is preferred
It cannot replace the full functional spectrum of phosphates but it can partially replace the pH raising function and tenderness improvement.
2 Codex position and regulatory limits
2.1 Codex
Codex classifies sodium bicarbonate as a neutralising agent and acidity regulator. It is generally recognised as safe and has no explicit maximum limit in most meat applications. The limits are instead controlled by good manufacturing practice because excessive levels produce alkaline flavour.
2.2 Practical usage limits in meat
The scientifically supported ranges in commercial meat applications are
Beef up to 0.5 percent
Pork up to 0.4 percent
Chicken up to 0.5 percent
Goat up to 0.5 percent
Lamb up to 0.4 percent
These reflect pH adjustments without creating soapy or alkaline notes.
2.3 Injection brines
In injection systems the functional range is lower
Typical 0.2 to 0.35 percent of the meat weight
Higher levels risk creating pockets of alkaline flavour.
3 Practical applications
3.1 Traditional and culinary uses
Korean barbecue beef Bulgogi
Korean barbecue beef Bulgogi is made by thinly slicing beef and marinating it in soy sauce, sugar, garlic, sesame oil and fruit purée such as pear or apple then grilling or pan frying it quickly. Some Korean cooks add a small amount of sodium bicarbonate to the marinade to speed up tenderising and to create a glossy well browned surface.
Chinese stir frying
Chinese cooks have long used velveting techniques that sometimes include a pinch of bicarbonate to soften the outer layers of beef or chicken for quick high heat cookery.
Middle Eastern kebab preparations
Traditional kebab recipes occasionally use bicarbonate to lighten texture and improve browning on open flame grills.
3.2 Industrial applications
Marinated chicken portions
Improves juiciness and colour
Useful in low cost systems without phosphates
Effective at 0.3 to 0.5 percent
Steak and beef strips
Improves tenderness when tumbled or marinated
Best at 0.3 percent
Mutton and goat
Useful where older animals with tough structure dominate supply
0.4 to 0.5 percent
Injected beef
Raising pH improves tenderness but the effect must be controlled
Injection level 0.2 to 0.35 percent
Best results occur when the meat rests overnight
3.3 Casings
Thin sheep casings soaked in bicarbonate become more slippery and open up easily. Concerns about weakening stem from extended exposure to high pH which can soften collagen. Overnight soaking should be avoided but short soaking can be helpful. A safe range is
0.3 percent for up to one hour.
3.4 Browning systems
Adding 0.2 to 0.4 percent bicarbonate to a surface coating increases Maillard reaction speed which is desirable in grilled chicken, skewers, fajita strips and ready to eat beef slices.
3.5 Novel applications
Use with beef skin for Krainer style sausages
Beef skin is tough and relies on collagen gelation during cooking to provide texture. Adding bicarbonate weakens the collagen matrix slightly and can decrease the firmness of the final gel. Therefore it is best avoided when the intention is to use skin for texture or binding. Phosphate is a better partner here because it increases extraction without weakening collagen.
Injecting fat into pork, chicken and beef
If fat injection is used a small percentage of bicarbonate may improve the way lean proteins hold the injected fat. The effect is modest. Recommended inclusion for such systems
0.15 to 0.25 percent.
The role is to raise pH and assist binding without alkaline notes.
4 Recommended inclusion levels
4.1 Summary table
Purpose
Recommended percentage of sodium bicarbonate in meat
Simple tenderising
0.3 to 0.5 percent
Improved browning
0.2 to 0.4 percent
Injection brines
0.2 to 0.35 percent
Stir fry cuts
0.3 percent
Goat and mutton softening
0.4 to 0.5 percent
Casings short soak
0.3 percent for maximum one hour
Avoid for collagen based binding such as Krainer skin systems
Not recommended
Fat injection binding aid
0.15 to 0.25 percent
References
Alvarado C and McKee S 2007 Marination to improve functional properties and safety of poultry meat
Petracci M and Baéza E 2023 Poultry Quality Evaluation
Hamm R 1960 Biochemistry of meat hydration
Offer G and Trinick J 1983 On the mechanism of water holding in meat
Smith D 2016 Meat science and technology
Lee C 2014 Traditional Korean meat processing practices
Stewart M 2018 Maillard reaction mechanisms in meat systems
Codex Alimentarius General Standard for Food Additives
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