Is Barbecue Sauce Acidic or Alkaline?
Barbecue sauce (prepared) is alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
Barbecue sauce is based on tomato paste, vinegar and sugar. The tomato paste brings a lot of potassium, hence the alkaline value of −4.0 per 100 ml. Still, the sauce can't offset grilled meat, because only a tablespoon or two ends up on your plate. The PRAL says nothing about the sugar or the 112 kcal per 100 ml anyway.
In the Herbs, Spices & Sauces category, barbecue sauce (prepared) ranks #37 of 75, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Chives (−4.3), Mint (−4.3), Chicken broth, powder (−5.5). More acid-forming are Iodized salt (−3.5), Table salt (−3.5), Vanilla bean (−3.3).
Acidic or alkaline: PRAL, not pH
On this site, acidic and alkaline refer to the PRAL (potential renal acid load). It estimates what a food leaves behind once it has been digested: a positive value is acid-forming, a negative value is alkalizing. That is different from the pH of the food itself: a lemon tastes sour, yet its PRAL is −4.0, so it is alkalizing. Your diet does not change your blood pH. It does change how much acid your kidneys have to deal with.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is barbecue sauce acidic?
It depends on what you mean by acidic. The pH describes the food itself, for example how sour it tastes. The PRAL describes what it leaves behind after digestion: Barbecue sauce (prepared) has a PRAL of −4.0 per 100 ml, so it counts as alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much barbecue sauce do I need for a noticeable effect?
A teaspoon (5 g) of barbecue sauce adds −0.2 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of barbecue sauce roughly offsets one of them.
Why is barbecue sauce alkaline even though it is not a typical alkaline food?
The PRAL depends on the minerals left over after digestion, not on taste or pH. Barbecue sauce provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−4.0).
Barbecue Sauce logged, balance checked.
Basentracker adds up every meal automatically and shows whether your day is in the alkaline range. The same values as on this page, all 977 foods, photo scan, recipes.
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Compare all Herbs, Spices & Sauces: Herbs, Spices & Sauces table. Common questions are answered in Acidic or Alkaline?, and the PRAL calculator adds up a whole meal.
Source: Basentracker food database (PRAL according to Remer & Manz, calculated from protein, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium per 100 g). This information does not replace medical advice.