Processing Agents Reference

Also: Activated charcoal, Activated vegetable carbon (E153), Charcoal filter media

Water filtration, wine decolourisation and purification, beer clarification, spirit production (charcoal mellowing — Lincoln County Process used in Jack Daniel's), edible activated charcoal products.

Also: Alpha-amylase, Beta-amylase, Diastase

Bread baking (improves crust colour, crumb structure, and shelf life), beer brewing (converts starch to fermentable sugars), glucose syrup production, paper manufacturing, textile desizing.

Also: E901, White beeswax, Yellow beeswax

Food glazing on confectionery, fruit coatings, cheese wax (for rind formation and preservation), some cosmetics and lip balms.

Also: Sodium bentonite, Montmorillonite, Mineral fining agent

Wine making (the most widely used fining agent globally), beer clarification, pharmaceutical tablet manufacture, cosmetics (face masks, dry shampoos), industrial drilling mud, cat litter.

Also: Dried blood, Ox blood fining, Blood powder

Traditional red wine fining (now largely discontinued in professional winemaking, still legally permitted in the EU as E551 in wine). Historical use in clarifying cider and beer.

Also: Bone black, Animal charcoal, Natural carbon filter

Refined white cane sugar, icing sugar, some brown sugars (which are refined white sugar with added molasses). Used during processing, not present in the final product.

Also: CaCl₂, E509, Cheese salt

Cheesemaking (added to pasteurised milk to restore calcium balance and improve coagulation), tofu production (nigari-style coagulant), canned vegetables (firmness maintenance), brewing (water chemistry adjustment), pickling.

Also: Carbon dioxide gas, Carbonation agent, E290

Carbonation of soft drinks and sparkling water, beer and wine carbonation, food preservation, modified atmosphere packaging, supercritical CO₂ extraction (used in decaffeination and hop extraction), stunning of animals pre-slaughter (relevant context only).

Also: E903, Brazil wax, Palm wax

Confectionery glazing (M&Ms, Skittles, some chocolate-covered raisins), fruit wax coatings on citrus and apples, pharmaceutical tablet coatings, car wax, shoe polish.

Also: Milk casein, Sodium caseinate, Potassium caseinate

Wine fining (white and rosé wine primarily), some ciders, certain latex paints and adhesives, some paper coatings. As a wine fining agent, it removes oxidative taint and phenolic bitterness.

Also: Filtration pads, Depth filter pads, Beverage filter sheets

Wine filtration (removes yeast cells and bacteria), beer filtration, juice clarification, spirits filtration, water purification.

Also: Chitin deacetylate, Shrimp shell extract, Crab shell fining agent

Wine fining and clarification, beer clarification, juice processing, water treatment. An antimicrobial agent in some food packaging. Approved as an oenological practice under EU wine regulations (Commission Regulation EC 606/2009, as amended by EU 2019/934) — specifically chitosan derived from Aspergillus niger.

Also: DE, Kieselguhr, Diatomite

Beer filtration (used in pressure filtration to achieve crystal clarity), wine filtration, fruit juice clarification, edible oil refining, pharmaceutical liquid filtration. Also used in food storage (insect control), pest control, and pool filtration.

Also: Egg white, Egg white fining, Ovalbumin

Red wine fining (premium and traditional producers, especially in Bordeaux and Burgundy). Removes harsh tannins and softens structure. Also used in some craft spirits production.

Also: Ovalbumin, Dried egg white, Ovoclar

Red wine fining (softens tannins with a gentler action than gelatin — particularly suited to fine Bordeaux and Burgundy), some fruit juice clarification.

Also: Ethene, Ripening agent, C₂H₄

Controlled ripening of bananas, tomatoes, avocados, pears, and other climacteric fruits during shipping and in controlled atmosphere warehouses.

Also: Microbial chymosin, Recombinant chymosin, Fermentation rennet

The majority of commercially produced cheese globally. Cheddar, mozzarella, most supermarket cheeses. FPC produces a purer chymosin than animal rennet with more consistent cheese quality.

Also: Amyloglucosidase, Glucan 1,4-alpha-glucosidase, AMG

Beer brewing (complete starch conversion in high-adjunct brewing), glucose syrup production for food manufacturing, production of high-fructose corn syrup, bioethanol production.

Also: H₂O₂, Food-grade hydrogen peroxide

Milk and whey pasteurisation (alternative to heat), cheese manufacturing (oxidation of carotenoids for white cheese), tofu and soy product processing, food equipment sanitisation, bleaching of flour (historical, now largely replaced), packaging sterilisation (aseptic processing).

Also: Carrageen moss, Chondrus crispus, Whirlfloc

Beer brewing — added in the last 10-15 minutes of the boil to improve clarity by attracting and precipitating proteins from the wort (hot break).

Also: Fish fining agent, Sturgeon isinglass, Carrageenan (different, but often confused)

Beer (cask ale, some keg lagers), white wine, some ciders. Used as a fining agent to remove haze-causing particles.

Also: E920, Cysteine, Reducing agent (baking)

Commercial bread, rolls, pizza bases, crackers, croissants, some pastries. It relaxes gluten and reduces mixing time in industrial bakeries. Also used in some meat flavoring compounds.

Also: Beta-galactosidase, Lactase enzyme, Lactozym

Lactose-free dairy milk production (breaks lactose into glucose and galactose), lactose-free yoghurt and cheese production, reduction of crystallisation in sweetened condensed milk, dietary supplement tablets for lactose intolerance.

Also: Wool wax, Wool grease, Wool fat

Cosmetics (lip balms, lotions, nipple creams, leather conditioning), vitamin D3 supplement production (lanolin is irradiated with UV light to produce cholecalciferol), some industrial lubricants.

Also: Pig fat, Rendered pork fat, Dripping (beef or pork)

Traditional shortcrust and puff pastry, pie crusts, some biscuits, traditional fried foods (chip shop chips were historically fried in lard), some bread products, tortillas.

Also: Pregastric lipase, Porcine pancreatic lipase, Microbial lipase

Cheese production (creates characteristic sharp, peppery flavours in Italian cheeses, pecorino, some cheddars), butter and dairy flavour production, olive oil assessment (lipase activity is a quality indicator), some baking applications.

Also: Egg white lysozyme, Muramidase, N-acetylmuramide glycanhydrolase

Hard cheeses (Gouda, Edam, Manchego, some Parmesan) — lysozyme prevents unwanted bacterial growth that causes late blowing defects. Some wines as a replacement for sulphur dioxide. Pharmaceutical applications.

Also: Protease enzyme, Subtilisin, Alcalase

Meat tenderising (cleaves peptide bonds in muscle proteins), bread baking (gluten reduction — used in cracker and biscuit production), beer chill-haze prevention, leather dehairing and bating (industrial use), detergents.

Also: MAP gas, Food-grade nitrogen, N₂

Modified atmosphere packaging for snack foods, salads, nuts, and fresh produce (replaces oxygen to prevent oxidation and bacterial growth), wine bottle blanketing, beer dispensing (nitrogen-infused beers like Guinness), coffee packaging.

Also: Oenological tannins, Ellagitannins, Commercial tannins

Wine production (stabilisation, antioxidant activity, fining, texture modification), craft beer (structure and astringency), cider production.

Also: O₃, Ozonated water, Ozone washing

Fresh produce washing and sanitisation (kills bacteria and extends shelf life without chemical residues), water treatment in food processing, surface sanitisation, storage atmosphere treatment.

Also: Pea protein isolate fining, Vegecoll, Vegan wine fining agent

Wine fining and clarification as a vegan alternative to casein (milk protein), egg albumin, and gelatin. Used to reduce tannin astringency and improve wine texture.

Also: Pectin-degrading enzyme, Polygalacturonase, Pectinesterase

Fruit juice clarification (apple, grape, citrus), wine production (increases juice yield and improves clarity), beer production, coffee processing (wet fermentation), pectin extraction.

Also: Porcine pepsin, Stomach enzyme, Animal rennet (pepsin component)

Traditional cheese making (as part of animal rennet), some meat processing (tenderizing), some pharmaceutical digestive enzyme supplements, gelatine production.

Also: Porcine pepsin, Gastric protease, E1101

Some cheese making (particularly traditional Italian cheeses in combination with rennet), gelatin production (acid hydrolysis), pharmaceutical applications, research use.

Also: Lecithinase, Phospholipase A2 (PLA2), Phospholipase C

Breadmaking (modifies lecithin in egg yolk or added lecithin to improve emulsification and dough stability), cheese production (modifies fat globule structure), vegetable oil degumming (removes phospholipids from crude oil).

Also: Wine gelatin, Beer gelatin, Fining gelatin

Wine fining (tannin removal, clarification), beer clarification (particularly traditional British real ale conditioning), juice clarification.

Also: Potassium pyrosulphite, E224, KMBS

Wine production (antioxidant and antimicrobial), beer brewing (sterilising equipment, killing wild yeast), cider production, fruit juice preservation, winemaking.

Also: E202, Potassium salt of sorbic acid

Wine (inhibits refermentation in the bottle and mould growth), fruit juices, dried fruit, dairy products, baked goods, some meat products, plant-based milks and yoghurts.

Also: Solanic (Avebe brand), Potato protein isolate

Beer foam stabilisation (excellent foam-positive protein), wine fining, some food applications.

Also: 1,2-propanediol, E1520, PG

Food flavouring carrier (dissolves flavour compounds), moistening agent in some tobacco products, humectant in baked goods, food colouring carrier, some cosmetic formulations, antifreeze.

Also: Calf rennet, Traditional rennet, Chymosin (animal-derived)

Traditional cheese production. Required in many protected designation of origin (PDO) cheeses — Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, Manchego, Gruyère, and many others mandate the use of animal rennet by their certification rules.

Also: E904, Lac resin, Confectioner's glaze

Glossy confectionery (Jelly Beans, some chocolate-covered raisins, some chocolates), apple wax coatings on supermarket fruit, pharmaceutical tablet coatings, furniture polish.

Also: Amorphous silicon dioxide, E551, Diatomite silica

Wine fining and clarification (removes proteins, tannins, and heat-unstable compounds), beer clarification, food anti-caking agent (E551 in powdered foods, spices, salt), moisture absorption packets.

Also: Caustic soda, NaOH, E524

Olive curing (gives Californian black olives their colour and flavour), pretzel and bagel lye bath (gives characteristic brown crust and chewy texture), cocoa processing (Dutch-process cocoa), hominy production, some lutefisk processing.

Also: SO₂, E220, Sulfites

Wine production (most important preservative — antioxidant and antimicrobial), cider, dried fruit (prevents browning), some fruit juices, seafood processing.

Also: Beef tallow, Suet, Rendered beef fat

Traditional chip frying (beef dripping chips), some commercial frying applications, historically in margarine, soap and candle manufacturing, leather conditioning, some Indian and South Asian cooking (ghee is related but distinct).

Also: L-tartaric acid, E334, Cream of tartar precursor

Wine acidification (correcting low-acid musts), cream of tartar production (potassium hydrogen tartrate), baking powder, some food acidulants.

Also: TG enzyme, Activa, Meat glue

Meat processing (bonding meat scraps into formed cuts, restructured meat products), yoghurt and cheese making (improving texture), imitation crab/seafood, some gluten-free applications, modernist cuisine ('protein glue').

Also: Porcine trypsin, Bovine trypsin, Serine protease

Cell culture media (used in pharmaceutical manufacturing to detach cells from culture surfaces — relevant to supplement and pharmaceutical production). Meat tenderising (some applications). Leather processing (bating). Some food applications.