L-CYSTEINE HYDROCHLORIDE (Anhydrous)

Product Overview

Sulphur Amino Acid | Dough Conditioner · Reducing Agent · Flavour Precursor | AJI97 | Food Grade

L-Cysteine Hydrochloride Anhydrous (CAS 52-89-1) is a food-grade amino acid supplied at 98.5–101.5% assay (typical 99.5%), meeting the AJI97 standard. It is a sulphur-containing amino acid with a distinctive dual role in food manufacturing that goes well beyond nutrition.

Its most important commercial function is as a dough conditioner and reducing agent in baking. L-cysteine chemically reduces the disulphide bonds in gluten, which relaxes and softens the dough — dramatically improving its extensibility and machinability. In practice this means faster mixing, easier sheeting and moulding, better machine handling on high-speed lines, and reduced dough shrinkage, which is why it is a standard processing aid in industrial bread, pizza-base, and bun production. Separately, L-cysteine is a key reaction-flavour precursor: heated with reducing sugars it generates savoury, meaty, and roasted flavour notes, making it foundational to the manufacture of savoury and meat flavours.

Key Properties

• Product Name: L-Cysteine Hydrochloride Anhydrous
• CAS Number: 52-89-1
• Standard: AJI97
• Assay (dry basis): 98.5–101.5% (typical 99.5%)
• Function: Dough conditioner · reducing agent · flavour precursor

How Food & Beverage Manufacturers Use This Ingredient

L-Cysteine HCl is used by manufacturers as a dough conditioner and flavour precursor. Typical applications include:

• Industrial Bread & Bun Manufacturing: Added as a reducing agent to relax gluten, improving dough extensibility and machinability, speeding up mixing, and reducing shrinkage on high-speed bakery lines.
• Pizza Dough & Flatbread Manufacturing: Softens and relaxes dough so it sheets and stretches easily without snapping back — critical for pizza bases, wraps, and flatbreads.
• Savoury & Meat Flavour Manufacturing: Used as a reaction-flavour precursor that, heated with reducing sugars, generates meaty, roasted, and savoury notes for flavour houses and processed-food manufacturers.
• Amino Acid & Nutritional Manufacturing: Included as a sulphur amino acid in nutritional and amino-acid formulations.

Technical SpecificationsKey Features

• Powerful Dough Conditioner: Reduces gluten disulphide bonds to relax dough — better machinability, faster processing, less shrinkage
• Reaction-Flavour Precursor: Generates savoury and meat flavour notes with reducing sugars — a flavour-industry staple
• ~99.5% Purity, AJI97: High-purity food-grade quality for regulated manufacturing
• Multifunctional: One ingredient serving baking, flavour, and nutrition applications
• Water-Soluble: Disperses readily into dough and process water

Technical Specifications

• Assay (dry basis): 98.5–101.5% | Actual: 99.5%
• Reference Standard: AJI97
• CAS Number: 52-89-1
• Appearance: White crystalline powder | Actual: Conform

Note: Some L-cysteine is manufactured from animal sources (e.g. keratin/feather hydrolysis) and some by fermentation. Confirm source with supplier documentation for vegetarian/Halal/Kosher label claims.