RWilly
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Do you think that baking soda as an ingredient in a baked cookie would still provide the benefits of bicarbonate?
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Do you think that baking soda as an ingredient in a baked cookie would still provide the benefits of bicarbonate?
Yes/No/Sorta. But in a secondary, relatively ineffective way, assuming the benefits of bicarbonate you want are carbon dioxide, CO2.
Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda) decomposes at temperatures above 180 degrees Fahrenheit ...
2 NaHCO3 → Na2CO3 + H2O + CO2
into Sodium Carbonate Na2CO3, water and CO2. It's one reason baking soda works as a leavening agent in baked goods (e.g. soda crackers). So, the baking soda loses *some* CO2 in the baking process due to heat. If you want to demonstrate this reaction, pour near boiling water in to a cup of baking soda and you'll see it rapidly fizz as it releases carbon dioxide.
However, the remaining sodium carbonate, Na2Co3, reacts with a variety of acids (HCL in the stomach, for example) to also produce CO2. In the case of HCL, you'll get...
Na2CO3 (s) + 2HCl (aq) → 2NaCl (aq) + CO2 (g) + H20
or, salt, carbon dioxide and water.
So, the answer is yes, but in a secondary reaction of the sodium carbonate with your stomach acid. But there is relatively little baking soda in any kind of cookie that would would be edible and tasty. And, CO2 in the stomach gets burped up more than it gets absorbed in any meaningful amount anyway. You'd surely get more CO2 in your tummy simply by drinking a coke or seltzer water than by eating baked goods with a small amount of residual sodium carbonate after being baked.
Buy who knows. You may find some zealous Peat fan making baking soda wafers soon in hopes of increasing their CO2 levels. Could probably do better just drinking baking soda in a glass of water. In fact, wash down those cookies with a glass of baking soda water and you'll increase your CO2 intake over the cookies alone as your stomach acid reacts with the baking soda directly to produce more CO2,