FAO Nutrition Meetings
Report Series No. 40A,B,C
WHO/Food Add./67.29
TOXICOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF SOME
ANTIMICROBIALS, ANTIOXIDANTS, EMULSIFIERS,
STABILIZERS, FLOUR-TREATMENT AGENTS, ACIDS AND BASES
The content of this document is the result of the deliberations of the
Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives which met at Rome,
13-20 December, 19651 Geneva, 11-18 October, 19662
1 Ninth Report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food
Additives, FAO Nutrition Meetings Report Series, 1966 No. 40;
Wld Hlth Org. techn. Rep. Ser., 1966, 339
2 Tenth Report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food
Additives, FAO Nutrition Meetings Report Series, 1967, in press;
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
World Health Organization
1967
MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATES
Synonym Monobasic calcium phosphates
Empirical formula (1) Ca(H2PO4)2
(2) Ca(H2PO4)2.H2O
Molecular weight (1) 234.05
(2) 252.08
Definition Monocalcium phosphates contain approximately
80 per cent of the monobasic salt, the balance
consisting of mostly of the dibasic salt.
They contain not less than 16.4 per cent. and
not more than 17.9 per cent. Ca, and not less
than ...... per cent. and not more than
...... per cent. phosphate expressed as P
(data to be supplied by manufacturers on the
basis of the analytical range found in the
product in practice.
Description This product occurs as white crystals or
granules or as granular powder.
Uses As buffer, firming agent, leavening agent,
texturing agent and in fermentation processes.
Evaluation
The toxicological evaluation of phosphates was discussed at
length in the Seventh Report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on
Food Additives. It was decided that phosphate as an additive should
be related to the total dietary phosphate intake. Furthermore, the
phosphate intake should be related to calcium intake. Clearly this
latter point is without significance if the additive is itself the
calcium salt of phosphoric acid. So far as the use of monocalcium
phosphate as an additive is concerned the phosphate and calcium
moieties should be added to the respective total P and Ca loads.
Limits for the P load were given in the Seventh Report.1
1 FAO Nutrition Meetings Report Series No. 35; Wld Hlth Org.
techn. Rep. Ser., 1964, 281