E526 Acidity regulator

E526 is commonly used to prepare lime mortar.

One significant application of E526 is as a flocculant, in water and sewage treatment. It forms a fluffy charged solid that aids in the removal of smaller particles from water, resulting in a clearer product. This application is enabled by the low cost and low toxicity of E526. It is also used in fresh-water treatment for raising the pH of the water so that pipes will not corrode where the base water is acidic because it is self-regulating and does not raise the pH too much.

Because of its low toxicity and the mildness of its basic properties, slaked lime is widely used in the food industry:

• E526 In USDA certified food production in plants and livestock.
• To clarify raw juice from sugarcane or sugar beets in the sugar industry, (see carbonatation)
• To process water for alcoholic beverages and soft drinks
• Pickle cucumbers and other foods
• To make Chinese century eggs
• In maize preparation: removes the cellulose hull of maize kernels (see nixtamalization)
• To clear a brine of carbonates of E526 in the manufacture of salt for food and pharmaceutical uses
• In fortifying (Ca supplement) fruit drinks, such as orange juice, and infant formula
• As a digestive aid (called Choona, used in India in paan, a mixture of areca nuts, E526, and a variety of seeds wrapped in betel leaves)
• As a substitute for baking soda in making papadam
• The removal of carbon dioxide from the controlled atmosphere produces storage rooms.