MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

FOOD, NUTRITION AND HEALTH

LEARNING PACKAGE
GRADE 10
WEEK NUMBER:
LESSON NUMBER:
Time: 60 min
TOPIC: Raising Agents (continue)
SUB TOPIC: Chemical raising agents
- Bicarbonate of soda
- Bicarbonate of soda plus acid
- Baking powder

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES: By the end of this lesson, you

will be able to:
- Identify the chemical raising agents.
- Explain how each chemical raising agent works.

Content
Chemical raising agents

Carbon dioxide is incorporated into mixture by the use of:

Bicarbonate of soda alone

Bicarbonate of soda plus an acid

Baking powder (contains bicarbonate of soda and acid)

Yeast (not strictly a chemical method as yeast is a living organism)

Bicarbonate of soda (an alkali)

Chemical formula: (NaHCOз)

When heated, the following reaction occurs:

2NaHCOз

heat

Na₂COз † H₂O † CO₂

Washing Soda Water Gas

This results in the production of an unpleasant soda taste and a

yellow discoloration, both of which are undesirable for most
mixtures. Bicarbonate of soda is therefore only used on its own for
strong- flavoured mixtures such as gingerbread and parkin.
Bicarbonate of soda plus an acid

To prevent the formation of washing soda, with its unpleasant

taste and colour, a weak acid is usually used with bicarbonate of
soda. Carbon dioxide still forms, so the mixture still rises. A variety
of acids can be used.

Cream of tartar (potassium hydrogen tartrate)

This is often used and it produces a residue which is colourless and

almost tasteless.

KHC₄H₄O₆ † NaHCOз

Cream of tartar Heat

NaKC₄H₄O₆ † H₂O † CO₂

Sodium potassium tartrate

Tartaric Acid

This is less often used, but is effective as it produces 25 time its

own volume of gas if used with bicarbonate of soda in equal
quantities. The resulting residue is slightly bitter.

Lactic acid (in sour milk)

This is produced by lactic acid bacteria, but its use is not very
accurate as it is impossible to gauge the amount present in milk. It
is often used in scone making.

Citric acid (lemon juice) or ethanoic acid (vinegar)

These are not very accurate as it is difficult to gauge the strength

of the acid.

Baking powder

This produced commercially and usually consists of:

Bicarbonate of soda

Acid sodium pyrophosphate

Starch, eg rice flour

Rice flour or other starch is added to absorb any moisture from the
atmosphere, which would otherwise cause the bicarbonate of
soda to react with the acid, releasing CO₂. This would make the
baking powder ineffective.

Self-raising flour

Is prepared from soft cake flour and a standard strength raising

agent: it is useful for plain cake mixtures. It is not suitable for:

Scones- too weak on its own

Rich cakes- Too much raising agent

Bread, pastries, biscuits- chemical raising agent not required.

Reflection

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Feedback ( for teachers use only)

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