sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), white crystalline or powdery solid that is a source of carbon dioxide and so is used as an ingredient in baking powders, in effervescent salts and beverages, and as a constituent of dry-chemical fire extinguishers. Its slight alkalinity makes it useful in treating gastric or urinary hyperacidity and acidosis. It is also employed in certain industrial processes, as in tanning and the preparation of wool.
Many bakery products are leavened by carbon dioxide from added baking soda or sodium bicarbonate in baking powder. When added without the offsetting amounts of dry acids or acid salts present in baking powder, sodium bicarbonate tends to make dough or batter alkaline, causing flavour deterioration and discoloration and slowing carbon dioxide release. Addition of an acid-reacting substance promotes vigorous gas evolution and maintains acidity within a favourable range. The rate of gas release affects the size of the bubbles produced in the dough or batter, consequently influencing the grain, volume, and texture of the finished product.