KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

COLLEGE OF SCIENCE
FACULTY OF BIOSCIENCES
DEPARTMENT OF FOOD SCIENCE

Course: Physical chemistry

Name: Arthur Gyasi Samuel
Index number: 4111720
 Date: 18th March, 2022
TITLE: pH OF FOOD ACIDS, BASES AND SALTS

AIM: To determine the pH measurement and some factors such as CO2 that affect the pH of
solutions, food and drinks.

ABSTRACT

The role of acids, bases, salts and CO2 in foods has played an important role in the
manufacturing of new food products. With the presence of these molecules in food, an
instrument known as a pH meter is used to determine the acidity or alkalinity of given food
substances.

To determine the pH of given food samples that were used during the experiment, a pH meter
was placed in prepared solutions of NaOH, HCl and sucrose of different concentrations and
percentages. Also, pH was determined in deionized water and sucrose containing different
presses of CO2. It was concluded that HCl with a pH of 1.40 was a strong acid and NaOH with a
pH of 13.40 was a strong base comparing them using the pH scale.

Acids, bases and salts are an integral part of reactions that occur in food and food preparation as
they work together to improve the flavor of foods and also help soften meat and fish.

INTRODUCTION
Most compounds or solutions contain acids, bases or are neutral(salt). The presence of
these molecules in these solutions affects the properties of the solution.

Acids are molecules or ions that when dissolved in water produce H+ ions. Acids are
compounds whose aqueous solutions taste sour.(Kauffman, 1988) Acids are also compounds that
turn litmus paper red. Acids react with bases to form salts which are termed neutralization
reactions. Acids can be grouped into two, which are weak and strong acids. Weak acids are
molecules that partially dissociate in solutions whiles strong acids completely dissociate in
solutions. Examples of acids are HCl, acetic acid which can be found in vinegar, citric acid, also
found in oranges and lemons, etc. Acids range from 1 to 6 on the pH scale.
 Bases as defined by “Arrhenius” are a molecules that when dissolved in water produces
OH- ions. Bases are compounds whose aqueous solutions are slippery to touch and tastes
bitter(Kauffman, 1988). Bases turn litmus paper blue and react with acids to produce salts. Bases
can also be grouped into two, that is the weak and strong bases.

Weak bases dissociate partially in solutions whiles strong bases dissociate completely in
solutions. Examples of bases are sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, etc. Bases range from
8 to 14 on the pH scale.

Salts are formed as a result of the reaction between acids and bases which can be termed a
neutralization reaction. Examples of salts are NaCl, NaHCO3, KCN Depending on the relative
strength of the salt ions, an acidic or a basic salt can be formed. An acidic salt is a salt formed as
a result of an incomplete neutralization reaction between a strong acid and a weak base of which
an example is NaHCO3 whiles a basic salt is formed as a result of an incomplete neutralization
between a strong base and a weak acid of which an example is KCN. A neutral salt can also be
formed by the reaction between a strong acid and a strong base.

To determine the H+ or OH- ion concentration in a solution, an instrument known as the pH

scale is used, this instrument is used to measure the pH of a solution. pH can be defined as the
measure of the hydrogen ion concentration of a solution or the measure of acidity or alkalinity in
an aqueous solution. (“Determination of pH in food and water samples National Infection
Service Food Water and Environmental Microbiology Standard Method Document,” 2020)

The pH scale has a length of 1 to 14 with its midpoint as 7. A solution with a pH less than 3 is
termed a strong acid while a solution with a pH between 3 and 7 is termed a weak acid. A neutral
solution is when its pH is equal to 7. Also, weak bases have their pH to be between 7 and 11
whiles strong bases have their pH to be greater than 11. To measure the pH or hydrogen ion
activity of a solution given in the laboratory, a pH meter was used. The pH meter is an
instrument used to measure the hydrogen ion concentration in a given solution.

Most food samples contain acids or bases. The presence of these molecules in food samples
affects some properties of food such as its palatability, flavor content and organoleptic properties
of the food.

PRECAUTIONS
Water was used to wash the probe of the pH meter after it had been dipped into a solution to
prevent contamination.

The probe of the pH meter was placed in aqueous KCl to maintain it at a neutral pH, make it
moist and to prevent the ions in the glass bulb from leaching out.

MATERIALS
Materials used in the determination of the pH of food acids, bases and salts were beakers to
contain solutions, deionized water, HCl, NaOH, salt (NaCl), sugar(sucrose), food sample (coke
drink), a pH meter and CO2 dispense (SodaStream) which was used to dispense CO2 into
solutions.

METHODS
Different concentrations of HCl, NaOH, salt and sugar already prepared were used and contained
in beakers. Two portions of the food sample(coke) were prepared, one been concentrated and the
other a 50% diluted food sample(coke). The pH of these food samples was determined.

A pH meter placed in KCl of 3 molar to keep the pH meter at a neutral pH and also to prevent
the ions in the glass bulb from leaching out and rendering the pH meter useless was calibrated
and used to measure the pH of the sample given. This method was done twice to find the average
pH of each sample.

Using the sodastream, different carbonated water was also prepared using 1,3 and 5 press of CO2
into 100ml of deionized water and labeled Q, R and S respectively. 1,3 and 5 press of CO2 was
also added to different beakers containing 5% sugar solution.

The pH of these samples was then measured immediately and after 5, 15 and 30 minutes.

RESULTS
 pH
Solutions Mean ±
Standard
I II Average Deviation
0.1M NaOH 12.96 13.12 13.04 13.04 ± 0.11
0.5M NaOH 13.52 13.46 13.49 13.49 ± 0.04
1% NaOH 13.03 13.05 13.04 13.04 ± 0.01
5% NaOH 13.67 13.51 13.59 13.59 ± 0.11

0.1M HCl 1.26 1.2 1.23 1.23 ± 0.04

0.5M HCl 0.34 0.38 0.36 0.36 ± 0.03
1% HCl 1.46 1.34 1.40 1.40 ± 0.08
5% HCl 0.94 0.96 0.95 0.95 ± 0.01

0.1M NaCl 7.22 7.16 7.19 7.19 ± 0.04

0.5M NaCl 6.88 6.92 6.9 6.90 ± 0.03
1% NaCl 6.66 6.72 6.69 6.69 ± 0.04
5% NaCl 6.78 6.94 6.86 6.86 ± 0.11

1% Sucrose 6.66 6.68 6.67 6.67 ± 0.01

5% sucrose 6.2 6.18 6.19 6.19 ± 0.01

Carbonation
pH
1 Press Initial 5 mins 15mins 30mins
Deionized water 5.23 5.14 5.37 5.58
5% sucrose 4.65 4.61 4.5 4.58

3 Press
Deionized water 5.13 4.86 4.79 5.42
5% sucrose 4.57 4.56 4.05 4.12

5 Press
Deionized water 4.54 4.00 3.44 4.50
5% sucrose 4.62 4.59 4.17 4.32
DISCUSSION
From the table, HCl with a pH of 1.40 and NaOH with a pH of 13.40 can be classified as strong
acid and a strong base respectively looking at their pH as it is known that strong acids have a pH
less than 3 whiles strong bases have a pH greater than 11.
Water is a solution that has a neutral pH of 7 but it was noted that the solution turned acidic after
CO2 was added to the deionized water. This was because CO2 dissolved and reacted with water to
form carbonic acid.
It was also noted that 0.5% HCl had a lower pH than 0.1% HCl and this was due to the solution’s
concentration.
CONCLUSION
Acids and bases are mostly the basis of most reactions that occur in food and food
preparation. These acids and bases work together to improve the flavor of foods, they also help
soften meat and fish.
pH in food can directly affect or influence the palatability, appearance, texture, flavor,
nutritional value and safety of foods. Correct pH is also needed to achieve successful
fermentation in the production of food products such as cheese and other foods. (“Food Industry
Briefing Series: Shelf Life,” 2007)
REFERENCES
“Determination of pH in food and water samples National Infection Service Food Water and
Environmental Microbiology Standard Method Document number FNES63 Version number 2
Effective Date 15.12.17” (2020). Available at: www.facebook.com/PublicHealthEngland
(Accessed: March 31, 2022).
“Food Industry Briefing Series: Shelf Life” (2007) Food Industry Briefing Series: Shelf Life
[Preprint]. doi:10.1002/9780470995068.
Kauffman, G.B. (1988) “The Bronsted-Lowry acid base concept,” Journal of Chemical
Education, 65(1), pp. 28–31. doi:10.1021/ED065P28.