Acetone is in your bathroom cabinet, not your kitchen
If they realized this, most people would probably only associate acetone with nail polish remover. After all, that's just the way it is. This instantly recognizable smell, along with the icy feeling on the skin as the liquid spontaneously evaporates, is by far the most common experience the average person has with this organic compound.
Acetone is a naturally occurring chemical commonly produced in the human body. It is found in many household products, including garden pesticides. Acetone is a popular solvent in many situations for several reasons. Firstly, it is miscible with water and secondly it evaporates easily. One disadvantage is its high flammability, which may cause safety issues during use and storage.
Definition of acetone
Acetone is the simplest member of the ketone organic chemicals. Its chemical formula is (CH 3 ) 2 O, and its IUPAC name is acetone.
It is also known as 2-propanone, propan-2-one, dimethyl ketone, etc. It is a colorless, flammable liquid at room temperature with a strong and distinctive solvent-like aroma. Acetone is miscible with water and is easily volatile, with a boiling point of only 56°C.
What are ketones?
A ketone is a functional group in organic chemistry (a small group of atoms that exhibits certain chemical behaviors) consisting of a carbonyl group (a carbon atom double bonded to an oxygen atom) and other carbon-containing groups on either side of it. Generally speaking,
In the case of acetone, the "R" group in the molecule shown above is the methyl, CH 3 group.
Does food contain acetone?
Due to the ubiquity of nail polish remover and its uses, acetone isn't really a substance that might be associated with food in any way. With this in mind, it is important to understand what the term “food grade” means, and perhaps just as important to understand what it means. "Food grade" does not necessarily mean that the chemical in question has actually been added to the food; rather, it is a purity standard that allows it to come into contact with food during manufacturing, packaging, transportation, or delivery.
To be honest, using pure acetone in food is somewhat unusual in itself. Although the solvent is generally considered safe (GRAS) by the U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA), there are few examples of it being added directly to food. It can be used as a flavoring agent, but this is uncommon.
Regardless of their direct use, there are some examples of compounds derived from or related to acetone being used in the food and beverage industry.
Acetone Derivatives for Food and Food Manufacturing
Acetone peroxide (C 6 H 12 O 4 ) is one such compound and has been used as a bleaching agent for flour. Natural flour may appear yellow, and the addition of acetone peroxide will turn the flour bright white before it is used in breadmaking and other baked goods.
Another acetone-related compound used in food is geranylacetone, with the IUPAC name 3,7 dimethyl-2,6 octadienyl acetone.
Geranylacetone is a naturally occurring compound found in a variety of plants. It is sometimes described as "fresh and light floral," with rose elements in the nose and flavor. It is widely used as a natural flavor enhancer as well as in perfumes.
Acetone in food processing
Acetone and related compounds may be present not only in food but also during food processing.
Natural vegetable oils need to be extracted from their parent plants in order to be used. Whether the oil comes from seeds, nuts, or stems, there must be a way to obtain pure oil from its source. Some methods are physical in nature (squeezing or crushing), but others involve a chemical process called solvent extraction.
In its simplest form, solvent extraction involves mixing a solvent (in this case, acetone) with the plant source. Acetone extracts the oil from the plant, then separates the solvent from the oil, leaving a pure product. Obviously, the solvent should be safe, i.e. non-toxic, and its ability to easily separate is important. Acetone has a relatively low boiling point, which means the solvent can easily evaporate, leaving behind a pure oil.
Hexane (C 6 H 14 ) is another common solvent used to extract oils, but depending on the specific application, a mixture of hexane and acetone may be more effective.
Acetone is also used to extract so-called flavor oleoresins . These are usually liquid or soft solid mixtures obtained by solvent extraction of various spices.
Oleoresins tend to have very strong and concentrated flavors and are commonly used in foods as combination flavorings and colorants. The FDA allows certain levels of acetone to be present and remain in oleoresins.
What to do if there is indirect contact with food ?
This is where the term "food grade" comes in. This allows chemicals such as acetone to come into contact with food during manufacturing, preparation, transportation or delivery without becoming a significant component of the final consumer food. Acetone is a good example of a "food grade" chemical used in this way.
The FDA considers acetone suitable for use as an "indirect food additive in adhesives and food contact coatings." This means it can be safely used in glues used in food packaging. Acetone can also be used as a cleaner on equipment and surfaces that food may come into contact with during manufacturing and preparation.
