Food Engineering/Manufacturing/potential hydrogen level

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Question
what are samples of food that has a pH of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14. Can you give specific sample of food and how would you consider soft drinks? what is the pH of softdrinks?

Answer
To my knowledge, there are no foods at the extremes of pH - 1, 2, 13, 14. Foods are considered acid if their pH is below 4.6 because in this range, botulinum toxin does not grow. Fruit juices and most tomato products are examples. Vinegar and other food acids probably have pH around 3. Meats are slightly acidic, just below 7. Water is around 7. There are not many foods with pH much above 7 that I can think of. Soft drinks are acidic, but I do not know specific values. The composition varies, as does the kind and amount of added acid. Colas have added phosphoric acid while others use citric.  

Food Engineering/Manufacturing

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J. Peter Clark

Expertise

How various processed foods are made; ways to improve manufacturing; how to make a new food product.

Experience

Employment history: Research Engineer, U.S.Agricultural Research Service, Associate Professor Chemical Engineering, Virginia Tech, Director of Research, Continental Baking Company, President, Epstein Process Engineering, Inc., Vice Presdent Technology, Fluor Daniel, Inc., Consultant to the Process Industries

Organizations: American Institute of Chemical Engineers (Fellow) Institute of Food Technologists, American Association of Cereal Chemists, American Association of Candy Technologists, American Society of Agricultural Engineers,

Publications: Several Encyclopedias (Kirk and Othmer, Chemical Technology; Food Science, Food Technology and Nutrition; Wiley Encyclopedia of Food Science and Technology; Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems); five books, two book chapters; numerous journals.

Education: BSChE Notre Dame PhD University of California, Berkeley

Awards: AIChE Food, Pharmaceutical and Bioengineering Division Award 1998

Clients: Major food processing and pharamaceutical companies.

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