Food
Calcium is so important for human life that the body can even draw it from bones when it falls below certain levels in the blood stream.
Changes in human diet and in food products themselves have led to a lower intake of calcium than the body needs. The food industry is offering solutions to this problem by using different sources of calcium, either to restore the natural amount, reduced during the industrial processing, or by adding extra amounts to other products to achieve a balanced daily intake.
From flour fortification to chewing gum, calcium carbonate is present in a wide range of applications covering all segments of the food industry.
| Food Application | Calcium Carbonate Content |
| Flour fortification | 0.3% |
| Gum base | up to 60% |
The main driver for the formulation is always the recommended daily amount of calcium for the final food product.
When calcium carbonate is used as a filler, pH is the main factor to take into account. It influences stability and solubility.
In these kinds of applications, calcium carbonate is marketed as a powder, so the choice of particle size plays a key role for appropriately mixing the different products.
When calcium carbonate is used as a coadjuvant, the crystal structure directly influences hardness and oil absorption. Although, by definition, a coadjuvant does not stay in the final product, food safety also play a key role in this application.
In our food related applications, HACCP and other industry standards (like ISO 22000, where Omya was a pioneer in having the first certificate in France and one of the first worldwide) are integrated in our management systems, as are the standards ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. As a result, our portfolio of products can satisfy regulations worldwide.
Ecology
Mining depends on the Earth’s resources. Omya takes great care of the environment and re-naturalizes old mines and quarries.
