Sodium tetrametaphosphate

Emergency treatment: Inorganic phosphates; Inorganic phosphates can cause diarrhea, hyperphosphatemia, and hypocalcemia after ingestion; An adult died after receiving four sodium phosphate enemas within 24 hours; he had electrolyte abnormalities and died from cardiac arrest; [HSDB]

SRP: At the time of review, criteria for land treatment or burial (sanitary landfill) disposal practices are subject to significant revision. Prior to implementing land disposal of waste residue (including waste sludge), consult with environmental regulatory agencies for guidance on acceptable disposal practices.

Used in household detergents, water conditioning, toothpaste, processed cheese, and additives in meat, fish, and poultry; [HSDB]

PHOSPHATE BUILDER IN HOUSEHOLD DETERGENTS; AGENT IN WATER CONDITIONING; ADDITIVE IN MEAT, FISH, POULTRY, & PROCESSED CHEESE; ABRASIVE IN TOOTHPASTE

Sequestrants; emulsifiers; textile processing; laundering /Sodium metaphosphate polymers/

Used in substitute dairy products for one or more of the following purposes: to alter buffering capacity of the system; to improve the stability of the protein to calcium ions; to improve the heat stability of the protein; to minimize the age gelatin of ultra-high temperature-(UHT) processed substitute products; to serve as emulsifying salts in imitation cheese manufacturing; and to modify the after-bonding capacity of protein and improve stability.

(NaPO3)n, where n ranges from 3-10 (cyclic molecules) or may be a much larger number (polymers). Cyclic sodium metaphosphate, based on rings of alternating phosphorus & oxygen atoms, range from trimetaphosphate, (NaPO3)3, to at least decametaphosphate.

Vitreous sodium phosphates having Na2O/P2O5 mole ratio near unity are classified as sodium metaphosphates (Graham's Salts). Average number of phosphorus atoms per molecules in these glasses ranges from about 25 to infinity.

The term sodium metaphosphate has also been extended to short-chain vitreous compositions, molecules of which exhibit polyphosphate formula Na(n+2)P(n)O3(n+1) with n as low as 4-5. These materials are more correctly called sodium polyphosphates.

THERE ARE NUMBER OF PROPOSED FOOD APPLICATIONS FOR CMPD, BUT NO APPLICATION HAS THUS FAR BEEN THOUGHT IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO BE APPROVED FOR USE IN FOODS BY US FDA.