Monocalcium Phosphate

Monocalcium Phosphate

Monocalcium Phosphate

What is it:

Monocalcium phosphate (MCP) is a food additive commonly used as a leavening agent and dough conditioner in various baked goods. It is derived from minerals in nature and synthetically produced by the reaction of calcium hydroxide with phosphoric acid. MCP releases carbon dioxide gas when mixed with baking soda and water, which helps dough rise and creates a light and fluffy texture in baked products like bread, cakes, and muffins.

Rating:

Monocalcium phosphate is synthetically produced, however, it is derived from natural sources that may help improve calcium status. Phosphoric acid is a highly corrosive acid. There is no evidence demonstrating any negative effect of monocalcium phosphate, however, research is extremely limited.

Resources:

How we rate ingredients

Health is like a bank account, certain ingredients make a deposit into your health bank, meaning they add to
your health. Certain ingredients withdraw from your health bank. We want health promoting ingredients in our diet. To keep things simple, we rate ingredients on a green, yellow, red scale:

Clean

It is naturally occurring in food and has no harmful effects on the body. It is real food. It is health promoting.

Caution

It goes into one or more of the below categories

We Avoid

It is known to have a harmful effect on the body (ex. All food colorings, Natural Flavors, MSG, Potassium bromate, aspartame, artificial flavors)

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