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
    

    See Also:
       Toxicological Abbreviations