General Description

Ammonium bicarbonate will also decompose during baking and release ammonia and carbon dioxide leavening gases without reacting with a leavening acid. Unlike sodium bicarbonate, which leaves a residue of alkaline sodium carbonate, ammonium bicarbonate leaves no residue when it decomposes by heat. It, therefore, has no effect on the pH of the baked product. If there is more than about 5% moisture in the baked product, however, the ammonia gas will dissolve in this water and impart an ammoniacal flavor to the product. For this reason, ammonium bicarbonate is used only in low-moisture products such as crackers.