Asahi Glass Company, Limited

Takako Hirano, Legal Representative

Shigeru Sakurai

Shintaro Kikuchi

Hisakazu Arima

Fumiaki Nakashima

Hachirou Hirano

A process for producing sodium hydrogencarbonate crystal particles having a low caking property, which entails subjecting sodium hydrogencarbonate crystal particles having an average particle size of from 50 to 500 &#x3bc;m based on the mass to heat treatment at a temperature of from 70 to 95&#xb0; C. by a heating gas having a carbon dioxide gas concentration of at most the concentration calculated by the formula: Carbon dioxide gas concentration=0.071&#xd7;e&#xd7;R, where T (&#xb0; C.) is the temperature of sodium hydrogencarbonate crystals, and R (%) is the relative humidity around the crystals at the temperature of the crystals, provided that the upper limit of the carbon dioxide gas concentration is 100 vol % to form anhydrous sodium carbonate on the surface of the sodium hydrogencarbonate crystal particles with a content of anhydrous sodium carbonate of from 0.03 to 0.4 mass % in the sodium hydrogencarbonate crystals.

Process for producing sodium hydrogencarbonate crystal particles having low caking property

Sodium hydrogencarbonate crystal particles, which comprise sodium hydrogencarbonate crystal particles having an average particle size of from 50 to 500 &#x3bc;m based on the mass, and anhydrous sodium carbonate, and sodium carbonate monohydrate and/or Wegscheider's salt, present on the surface of the sodium hydrogencarbonate crystal particles in such amounts that the total content of anhydrous sodium carbonate, sodium carbonate monohydrate, Wegscheider's salt and sodium sesquicarbonate in the sodium hydrogencarbonate crystal particles is from 0.04 to 1 mass % as calculated as anhydrous sodium carbonate, anhydrous sodium carbonate accounts for at least 40 mass % of the total content, and sodium carbonate monohydrate and/or Wegscheider's salt accounts for from 5 to 60 mass % of the total content. Sodium hydrogencarbonate crystal particles having a low caking property, which are useful in the field of food products, pharmaceuticals, bath additives, etc., which require no necessity to contain an anticaking agent, a process for producing them and a method for packaging them, can be provided.

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Chiba, Japan

Takako Hirano, Legal Representative