What Food Products Contain Sodium Bicarbonate?

January 11, 2026 •

4 min read

Did you know that a single teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate contains 630 mg of sodium, comprising over a quarter of the daily recommended intake? Sodium bicarbonate, more commonly known as baking soda, is a versatile ingredient found in a wide array of food products beyond just baked goods. Its functions range from acting as a leavening agent to regulating pH levels and enhancing texture.

Quick Summary

Sodium bicarbonate is a multipurpose ingredient used in many food products for leavening, pH regulation, and texture enhancement. It is a key component in baked goods, fizzy beverages, and effervescent powders, and is also utilized for tenderizing meat and stabilizing dairy products.

Key Points

Leavening Agent: Sodium bicarbonate reacts with acids to produce carbon dioxide, causing baked goods like cakes, cookies, and muffins to rise.
pH Regulation: It is used commercially as a pH buffer to maintain stable acidity in foods like processed meats, dairy, and noodles, extending shelf life.
Meat Tenderizer: Adding a small amount of baking soda can increase the surface pH of meat, helping to break down proteins and result in a more tender texture.
Effervescence in Beverages: In drinks and powders, it combines with an acid to produce a fizzy, carbonated effect upon contact with water.
Flavor Enhancer: Used to neutralize overly acidic tastes in sauces and other dishes, preventing bitterness and balancing flavors.
Ingredient Labeling: Sodium bicarbonate can be identified on food labels under its chemical name, baking soda, or the food additive number E500(ii).

The Many Culinary Roles of Sodium Bicarbonate

Sodium bicarbonate, chemically known as NaHCO₃, is an alkaline compound widely used in the food industry and home cooking. Its ability to react with acids to produce carbon dioxide gas makes it an indispensable ingredient. While most commonly recognized as a leavening agent, its functions extend to controlling acidity, tenderizing meat, and creating fizz in beverages.

Baked Goods: Leavening and Browning

This is arguably the most famous use of sodium bicarbonate. When it is combined with an acidic ingredient and moisture, it produces carbon dioxide bubbles that cause doughs and batters to rise, resulting in a lighter and fluffier texture. This is especially common in 'quick breads,' which do not rely on yeast for leavening. Without this reaction, baked goods would be dense and flat.

Cakes and Muffins: Recipes that contain acidic ingredients like buttermilk, yogurt, or sour cream often rely on baking soda for a rapid rise.
Cookies: Baking soda contributes to the spread and helps create a crispier edge in cookies.
Quick Breads: Items such as banana bread, zucchini bread, and Irish soda bread depend on sodium bicarbonate for their signature rise.
Baking Powder: Many store-bought baking powders contain sodium bicarbonate mixed with a dry acid (like cream of tartar) and a starch. This creates a more stable, pre-packaged leavening system.

Processed Foods: pH Regulation and Stability

In commercial food production, sodium bicarbonate acts as a pH buffer, regulating and stabilizing the acidity of a product. This can extend shelf life and improve stability by preventing bacterial growth.

Instant Noodles: It is used to adjust the pH level to ensure proper texture and stability.
Processed Meats: In sausages and deli meats, it can help stabilize emulsions and improve moisture retention and mouthfeel.
Powdered Milk: During production, adding sodium bicarbonate can help stabilize proteins, improving solubility and reducing clumping when the milk is reconstituted.

Tenderizing Meat

This technique, sometimes called 'velveting' in Chinese cuisine, uses sodium bicarbonate to tenderize tougher cuts of meat. The alkaline nature of baking soda raises the pH level on the surface of the meat, which prevents the protein fibers from tightening and allows them to retain more moisture during cooking. It is particularly effective for thinly sliced chicken or beef used in stir-fries. After a brief soak in a baking soda solution, the meat should be thoroughly rinsed to avoid any metallic aftertaste.

Beverages: Fizz and Foaming

Sodium bicarbonate's reaction with acid is used to produce the effervescence, or fizz, in many drinks and powders. When combined with an acidic component, it releases carbon dioxide gas, creating a bubbly effect.

Effervescent Drink Powders: Items like powdered health drinks or fizzy cocktail mixes use sodium bicarbonate and a powdered acid (like citric acid) to create a dissolving, bubbling sensation.
Sports Drinks and Sparkling Water: It helps regulate acidity and maintains a stable flavor profile in some beverages.

Other Uses in Cooking

Beyond its primary functions, baking soda has several other applications in the kitchen:

Enhances browning: The alkaline environment created by sodium bicarbonate accelerates the Maillard reaction, resulting in a deeper, richer brown color on baked goods like pretzels and caramelized onions.
Crispy Skin: A small amount rubbed on poultry skin can help it get extra crispy when roasted.
Neutralizes Acidity: It can be used to balance overly acidic flavors in sauces or stews, such as tomato sauce.
Softens Beans: A pinch added to the water can help soften the tough outer layers of beans and legumes, reducing cooking time.

Baking Soda vs. Baking Powder


Feature	Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda)	Baking Powder
Composition	Pure sodium bicarbonate, a single chemical compound.	A complete leavening system containing baking soda, a powdered acid, and a starch.
Activation	Requires an added acidic ingredient (buttermilk, vinegar, molasses) and moisture to react.	Contains its own acid and only needs liquid to activate. Double-acting powders react again with heat.
Reaction Time	Instant and rapid reaction once mixed with liquid and acid.	Double-acting powder provides a more gradual rise, suitable for recipes that may sit longer before baking.
Resulting Flavor	If not neutralized by enough acid, can leave a soapy or metallic aftertaste.	More neutral flavor profile due to the balanced combination of acid and base.
Common Use Cases	Recipes with acidic ingredients, quick breads, cookies where a rapid rise is needed.	Recipes without additional acidic ingredients, cakes, biscuits, and muffins.

Conclusion

From providing the perfect rise in a cake to creating the satisfying fizz in a sports drink, sodium bicarbonate is a remarkably versatile and vital ingredient in the world of food. Its roles as a leavening agent, pH regulator, and tenderizer showcase its importance across various culinary applications. By understanding where and why this compound is used, consumers can better appreciate the science behind the food they enjoy every day. When checking ingredient labels for packaged goods, look for "sodium bicarbonate" or the food additive number E500(ii) to identify its presence.

For more detailed information on its properties and uses, visit the University of York's Science on the Shelves page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sodium bicarbonate is a single alkaline ingredient that needs an acid to produce a rising reaction. Baking powder is a complete leavening system containing both baking soda and a powdered acid, so it only needs moisture to work.

Check the ingredient list on the food's packaging. It will often be listed as 'sodium bicarbonate,' 'baking soda,' 'bicarbonate of soda,' or with its European food additive code, E500(ii).

If used in the correct proportion with an acidic ingredient, you should not taste it. However, if too much is used or if there is not enough acid to neutralize it, it can leave a bitter or soapy aftertaste.

When applied to meat, baking soda raises the surface pH, which prevents protein fibers from tightening during cooking. This process helps the meat retain moisture and creates a more tender texture.

In drinks and powdered mixes, sodium bicarbonate is used to create effervescence (fizz). It reacts with an acid when mixed with liquid, releasing carbon dioxide bubbles.

Yes, it can be used to tenderize meat, make crispy chicken skin, neutralize overly acidic flavors in sauces, and soften beans and legumes while cooking.

Yes, sodium bicarbonate is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by regulatory bodies like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is commonly used in food production.