Sodium tripolyphosphate is a food additive that is typically added to animal proteins to enhance moisture. It’s commonly added to seafood, chicken and other proteins to enhance moisture. For example, if you have a 21/25 count per pound shrimp, you can add sodium tripolyphosphate to the shrimp and increase the water weight to be able to declare the shrimp as a 16/20 count per pound.
Sodium tripolyphosphate is an inorganic compound. It is the sodium salt of the polyphosphate pentanion, which is the conjugate base of triphosphoric acid. Typically sodium tripolyphosphate is added to a mixture of water and salt, then the protein is added and agitated in a large container until the desired water weight is absorbed into the product. The United States FDA has categorized sodium tripolyphosphate as GRAS, “generally recognized as safe.”
Ultimately, the use of this additive is a questionable way of making more profit when producing shrimp, and while it’s not necessarily harmful, it doesn’t really contribute to the overall eating experience of shrimp.
