Tenderizing agents
Potassium, magnesium or calcium chloride
Parameters
- Named in the chart as
- Potassium chloride, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride
- Chart entries
- 1
- Purposes
- To soften tissue
- Curing agent
- no
9 CFR 424.21, chart at paragraph (c). eCFR as in force on 2026-01-01, retrieved 2026-09-04.
This entry covers 3 substances
9 CFR 424.21(c) names these jointly rather than separately, so Potassium chloride, magnesium chloride and calcium chloride share one row, one purpose and one permitted amount. Everything below applies to either of them, and a product using one is subject to the same figure as a product using the other.
They are not interchangeable in practice, though. The chart is a permission, not a statement that the two behave alike: which one a process uses changes how quickly the curing agent becomes available, which is why the retail cures are sold as two different blends.
Permitted uses and amounts
| Class | Purpose | Products | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tenderizing agents | To soften tissue | Raw poultry muscle tissue of hen, cock, mature turkey, mature duck, mature goose, and mature guinea, and raw meat cuts | A solution of approved inorganic chlorides injected into or applied to raw meats or poultry cuts shall not result in a gain of more than 3 percent above the weight of the untreated product. |
Footnotes referenced above
- 3 Provided that its use is functional and suitable for the product and it is permitted for use at the lowest level necessary to accomplish the desired technical effect as determined in specific cases prior to label approval under part 412 of this chapter.
Source: Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), Title 9, 9 CFR 424.21. Parsed from eCFR XML as in force on 2026-01-01, retrieved 2026-09-04. Read the section