# Is table salt with cracking agent ok to use as sodium chloride?



## Aussiedrifter (9/2/13)

i've been recently playing around with water in my brewing. I was just wondering about table salt as listed in beer smith (which i believe is sodium chloride). i bought normal unionised table salt but they all seam to have a cracking agent in them, this one has (554) is this ok for brewing?


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## Bribie G (9/2/13)

554 Sodium aluminosilicate is the anti caking agent - I'm sure the salt doesn't mind being cracked B)
Given the tiny quantity I'd certainly use normal table salt myself, in fact added a half tsp to a dark ale once, didn't notice a lot of difference.


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## peas_and_corn (9/2/13)

You need to be careful, you don't need much sodium to push the sodium ions into the flavour threshold. I was chatting to QB the other day and he did the maths and in a 22l batch, based on the anstey hill profile, you only need about a teaspoon to start getting into the detectable range.


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## TidalPete (9/2/13)

Your mash liquor probably appreciated the extra sodium Bribie.


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## Online Brewing Supplies (9/2/13)

Aussiedrifter said:


> i've been recently playing around with water in my brewing. I was just wondering about table salt as listed in beer smith (which i believe is sodium chloride). i bought normal unionised table salt but they all seam to have a cracking agent in them, this one has (554) is this ok for brewing?


Why not just use cooking salt and remove the doubt ?
Same place the supermarket.
Nev


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## dougsbrew (9/2/13)

could be applying cracking agent..


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## mabrungard (10/2/13)

Don't worry about the anti-caking agent. It is at low concentration. The main thing to avoid with table salt is iodine. Be sure to seek out salt that states that it is non-iodized. 

Sodium in brewing water is a welcome component...at low concentrations. You can read more about ion effects in brewing water here.


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## TidalPete (10/2/13)

mabrungard said:


> Don't worry about the anti-caking agent. It is at low concentration. The main thing to avoid with table salt is iodine. Be sure to seek out salt that states that it is non-iodized.
> 
> Sodium in brewing water is a welcome component...at low concentrations. You can read more about ion effects in brewing water here.


+1


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## pmastello (10/2/13)

mabrungard said:


> Don't worry about the anti-caking agent. It is at low concentration. The main thing to avoid with table salt is iodine. Be sure to seek out salt that states that it is non-iodized.
> 
> Sodium in brewing water is a welcome component...at low concentrations. You can read more about ion effects in brewing water here.


What's wrong with iodine? I use iodine to sanatize my kegs and brewing equipment and the level of iodine in iodised table salt will be miniscule compared to that.


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## Aussiedrifter (10/2/13)

Thanks guys. I think I'm safe then. I'll be putting 1.6g in the mash as calculated by beer smith and it is defenently non iodized sea salt. I'm brewing Firestone walkers mission street pale ale this afternoon and I want to replicate their water. 
Which is 
Calcium 75ppm
Magnesium 12ppm
Sodium 35ppm
Sulphate 120ppm
Chloride 100ppm
Up until now I've got away with chalk, gypsum ect but I couldn't get to these amounts without sodium chloride this time.


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## mabrungard (10/2/13)

Gingerbrew said:


> What's wrong with iodine? I use iodine to sanatize my kegs and brewing equipment and the level of iodine in iodised table salt will be miniscule compared to that.


I'm hoping you see the irony in your statement. It is a sanitizer because it can be lethal to microbes, including yeast. 

However you are correct, its unlikely that you would contribute enough iodine to water through iodized salt. Its just that it is clearly counterproductive to the yeast we are trying to propagate in a ferment. Use any salt you like. I'll select the salt that is non-iodized if given a choice.


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## manticle (10/2/13)

Don't forget sodium is toxic to yeast too when at too high a level.


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## pmastello (10/2/13)

mabrungard said:


> I'm hoping you see the irony in your statement. It is a sanitizer because it can be lethal to microbes, including yeast.
> 
> However you are correct, its unlikely that you would contribute enough iodine to water through iodized salt. Its just that it is clearly counterproductive to the yeast we are trying to propagate in a ferment. Use any salt you like. I'll select the salt that is non-iodized if given a choice.


No irony at all. Iodine based sanitizers are no-rinse. At the concentration you find when using as a sanitizer, it is effective at killing microbiological contaminats. When diluted with 22L of beer, the concentration of iodine has no affect whatsoever to your yeast or anything else. At the concentration of iodine added by adding iodised table salt to 22L of beer would be even less.
In my opinion (and I am happy to be corrected), iodised table salt would be no different to non-iodised table salt.
Doesn't address the OP's question though....


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## Screwtop (14/2/13)

Used cooking salt in the kettle before moving to the current location, local water here is 60ppm sodium so no longer use it. Had not heard of the anti cracking/caking additive. So decided I would do what any good "Google Brewer" would do and look up an answer for you. 

Found this: Sodium ferrocyanide, also known as yellow prussiate of soda, is sometimes *added to salt* as an anticaking *agent*. The additive is considered safe for human consumption.

We get to consume some yummy chemicals eh!

Screwy


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## stux (14/2/13)

I've got a bag of kosher salt. Use it for sausage making etc. 

Anyway it's pretty much flakes of salt no more, no less. It's flaked because it'd cake if it was granulated

I think SWMBO found it at IGA


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## Aussiedrifter (14/2/13)

Stux said:


> I've got a bag of kosher salt. Use it for sausage making etc.
> 
> Anyway it's pretty much flakes of salt no more, no less. It's flaked because it'd cake if it was granulated
> 
> I think SWMBO found it at IGA


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## Aussiedrifter (14/2/13)

Yer I found some sea salt at a gormat supermarket near our house. It had no cracking agent, which just put my mind at rest. 
Thanks guys


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