| Certificates/Standards: | N; |
| Monthly Output: | Not provided |
| Regional: | Not provided |
| Packaging Information: | Not provided |
| Mode Of Payment: | Not provided |
| Delivery Lead Time: | Not provided |
| Main Sales Markets: | North America,Central/South America,Western Europe,Eastern Europe,Australasia,Asia,Middle East,Africa |
| Sample Provided: | No |
| Sample Policy: | Not provided |
| Minimum Quantity: | Not provided |
Sodium hydroxide, also known as caustic soda, or lye, is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula NaOH. It is a white solid and highly caustic metallic base and alkali salt which is available in pellets, flakes, granules, and as prepared solutions at a number of different concentrations. Sodium hydroxide forms an approximately 50% (by weight) saturated solution with water.Sodium hydroxide is soluble in water, ethanol and methanol. This alkali is deliquescent and readily absorbs moisture and carbon dioxide in air.Sodium hydroxide is used in many industries, mostly as a strong chemical base in the manufacture of pulp and paper, textiles, drinking water, soaps and detergents and as a drain cleaner. Worldwide production in 2004 was approximately 60 million tonnes, while demand was 51 million tonnes.Food uses of sodium hydroxide include washing or chemical peeling of fruits and vegetables, chocolate and cocoa processing, caramel coloring production, poultry scalding, soft drink processing, and thickening ice cream. Olives are often soaked in sodium hydroxide for softening; Pretzels and German lye rolls are glazed with a sodium hydroxide solution before baking to make them crisp. Owing to the difficulty in obtaining food grade sodium hydroxide in small quantities for home use, sodium carbonate is often used in place of sodium hydroxide.Specific foods processed with sodium hydroxide include:The Scandinavian delicacy known as lutefisk (from lutfisk, "lye fish").Hominy is dried maize (corn) kernels reconstituted by soaking in lye-water. These expand considerably in size and may be further processed by frying to make corn nuts or by drying and grinding to make grits. Nixtamal is similar, but uses calcium hydroxide instead of sodium hydroxide.Sodium hydroxide is also the chemical that causes gelling of egg whites in the production of Century eggs.German pretzels are poached in a boiling sodium carbonate solution or cold sodium hydroxide solution before baking, which contributes to their unique crust.Lye-water is an essential ingredient in the crust of the traditional baked Chinese moon cakes.Most yellow coloured Chinese noodles are made with lye-water but are commonly mistaken for containing egg.Some methods of preparing olives involve subjecting them to a lye-based brine.The Filipino dessert (kakanin) called kutsinta uses a bit of lye water to help give the rice flour batter a jelly like consistency. A similar process is also used in the kakanin known as pitsi-pitsi or pichi-pichi except that the mixture uses grated cassava instead of rice flour.