Ammonium bicarbonate is used as a leavening agent for baked goods. It also serves as a blowing agent for foam rubber and in pharmaceutical manufacturing. Other applications include textile defatting and the manufacture of porous plastics and ceramics. The material is a white crystalline powder, soluble in water. Recorded grades are food, pharma, technical and FCC. Packaging formats include 25 kg bags, 500 kg big bags and bulk. Food use as E 503 is subject to the applicable food-additive specification and permitted-use conditions. Pharmaceutical use requires the applicable pharmacopoeia grade.