Sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC-Na for short) is a water-soluble anionic polymer compound made from natural cellulose through chemical modification. It has multiple properties such as thickening, emulsification, stabilization, water retention, and film formation. Its uses cover a wide range of industrial fields. The following is a detailed classification and application scenarios:
1. Food industry: improving taste and stability. CMC-Na is mainly used as a food additive (No. E466) in food, playing the role of thickening, water retention, stabilization, etc., and is highly safe (approved by authoritative organizations such as FDA and EFSA).
In beverages, in fruit juices and plant protein beverages (such as almond milk and soy milk), it prevents pulp precipitation and maintains a uniform suspension state; in carbonated beverages, it regulates bubble stability and improves the smoothness of the taste. In baking and pastry, it increases water retention in bread and cakes, delays aging and hardening, and extends the shelf life; in noodles and dumpling skins, it enhances ductility and elasticity and reduces breakage during cooking. In frozen foods, it inhibits the formation of ice crystals in ice cream and popsicles, making the texture delicate and soft, and avoiding water release after melting. In other aspects, it is used as a gelling agent in jams and jellies to improve consistency and formability; it improves fluidity in sauces (such as ketchup and salad dressing) to prevent stratification.
2. Medicine and cosmetics: safe carriers and functional additives.
2.1. Pharmaceutical field. In terms of pharmaceutical preparation excipients, it is an adhesive for oral tablets and capsules, making the particles easy to form and disintegrate; it is a thickener and suspending agent for oral liquids and syrups to ensure uniform dispersion of drug ingredients (such as antibiotic suspension); it is a matrix for ointments and creams to adjust the consistency and promote drug skin penetration. In terms of medical devices, it is the main ingredient of ophthalmic lubricants (artificial tears), relieving dry eyes and forming a protective film; it is used as an adhesive or excipient in dental materials.
2.2. Cosmetics and personal care. In skin care products, it is used as a thickener and stabilizer in lotions and creams to improve the smoothness of the texture and enhance the ability to moisturize and lock in moisture; in washing and care products, it is used to adjust the viscosity in shampoo and shower gel to make the foam more delicate and lasting and reduce irritation; in makeup, it is used to improve the ductility and adhesion in liquid foundation and toothpaste to prevent makeup from coming off or the paste from drying up.
3. Daily chemical industry: improve product use experience. In detergents, it is used as an anti-redeposition agent in washing powder and laundry liquid to prevent dirt from reattaching to clothes from the water and enhance the washing effect; in detergent, it is used to adjust the consistency and improve the stability of foam. In other daily chemical products, it is used as an adhesive and thickener in toothpaste to make the paste stable and delicate; it is used as a molding aid in mosquito coils and solid air fresheners to ensure the slow release of active ingredients.
4. Industrial production: process optimization and performance enhancement.
4.1. Textiles and printing and dyeing. As a sizing agent for yarn sizing, it can enhance the toughness of fibers and reduce the breakage during weaving; as a dispersant and leveling agent in the printing and dyeing process, it can make the dye adhere evenly and improve the color fastness.
4.2. Papermaking industry. As a sizing agent on the surface of paper, it can improve the strength, smoothness and water resistance of paper; adding it to pulp can improve the bonding force between fibers and reduce hair loss and powder loss.
4.3. Petroleum and mining. In oil drilling, it is used as a drilling fluid additive to increase the viscosity of drilling fluid, carry rock chips, stabilize the well wall and prevent collapse; in mining and mineral processing, it is used as an inhibitor or dispersant in the mineral flotation process to improve the efficiency of mineral separation.
4.4. Construction and coatings. As a thickener and suspending agent in water-based paints and latex paints, it can prevent pigment precipitation and improve the leveling of brushing; in cement mortar and putty, it can enhance water retention, avoid cracking caused by too fast drying, and improve construction performance.
4.5 Other special fields. In agriculture, it is used as an adjuvant for pesticide suspension to improve the adhesion of the liquid and reduce the loss of efficacy caused by rainwater erosion; in the ceramic industry, it can be added to ceramic bodies to enhance plasticity and reduce cracking during the drying process; in the tobacco industry, it can be added to cigarette paper to improve combustion stability and reduce tobacco drop.
Summary. The core value of CMC-Na lies in its water solubility, versatility and safety. By regulating viscosity, stability, water retention and other properties, it has become an irreplaceable adjuvant in the fields of food, medicine, industry, etc. In different application scenarios, CMC-Na models with different degrees of substitution (DS values) and viscosities need to be selected according to specific needs to achieve the best effect.
