Products
Staghorn salt is available, for example, in pharmacies and drugstores as open goods. Specialty retailers can order it from specialized suppliers.
Structure and properties
In a broader sense, staghorn salt is the ammonium salts of carbonic acid, ammonium hydrogen carbonate, ammonium carbonate or ammonium carbamate (SLMB). In practice, the pure ammonium hydrogen carbonate is frequently used today. Ammonium hydrogen carbonate (NH4HCO3, Mr = 79.06 g/mol) is a fine, white, crystalline powder that is weakly hygroscopic and highly soluble in water. It has a cooling, salty taste and an irritating, acrid odor of ammonia. It is in equilibrium with ammonium carbonate ((NH4)2CO3) is present. Staghorn salt was formerly obtained from organic materials by dry distillation. Today it is produced synthetically by introducing carbon dioxide into concentrated ammonium chloride.
- CO2 (carbon dioxide) + NH3 (ammonia) + H2O (water) NH4HCO3 (ammonium hydrogen carbonate)
Effects
The remarkable thing about the staghorn salt is that when heated, the crystals volatilize completely without leaving any residue. The driving salt decomposes into the three gases carbon dioxide (CO2), ammonia (NH3) and water (H2O) and thus loosens the dough. This process can start at room temperature when the substance is moist.
Fields of application
Staghorn salt is traditionally used as a leavening agent for low baked goods such as gingerbread, beaver, gastric bread, speculaas and other cookies. It is not suitable for high pastry. If necessary, it can also be replaced by other leavening agents, e.g. baking powder, although it cannot be ruled out that this may slightly change the taste of the pastry. It is further popular for experiments in chemistry classes and has been used as a smelling agent.
Dosage
According to the present recipe. The usual dosage as leavening agent is 1 g of staghorn salt per 100 g of flour.
Precautions
Staghorn salt is not suitable as a leavening agent for high baked goods such as breads or cakes, as the unpleasant smelling ammonia cannot escape from it! Ammonia can irritate the respiratory tract, leading among other things to coughing and reddening of the mucous membranes. The escaping gases should therefore not be inhaled and the windows should be opened or the fume hood switched on when baking. Staghorn salt, as a crystalline pure substance, is harmful to health and must not be ingested or come into contact with the skin, eyes or mucous membranes. When the fine powder is shaken, a dust may be formed, which should not be inhaled. Full precautions can be found in the Material Safety Data Sheet. Finally, ammonium bicarbonate is known to be an important factor in the formation of the controversial acrylamide in food during baking (Taeymans et al., 2005).
Storage and disposal
Store tightly closed, dry, away from light and heat in a container and not in a bag. Staghorn salt has a limited shelf life. When it stops smelling, it is no longer usable. It is harmful to fish and should not be disposed of in the sewage system or with household waste. Return expired staghorn salt to the point of sale.
