Citric acid - properties, benefits, home use

In the kitchen of any housewife, you can always find citric acid, which refers to organic acids and is a natural preservative. Citric acid is used both for domestic and industrial purposes. How citric acid is made, as well as its properties, possible uses - all this you will learn from this article.

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Properties and Benefits

Citric acid or food supplement E330 is a crystalline substance. Additive E330 is white, readily soluble in water, ethanol and sparingly soluble in diethyl ether.

History of occurrence

The acid was first isolated from the juice of unripe lemons by a pharmaceutical chemist from Sweden, Karl Scheele, in 1784. The molecular formula of citric acid is С6Н8О7, and its salts and esters are called citrates. By its action, E330 is a synthetic or natural antioxidant.

Important! Additive E330 is widespread in nature and is found in berries, needles and stalks of tobacco crops, as well as in all citrus fruits. Immature fruits of lemon and Chinese magnolia vine are distinguished by a high content of antioxidant.

Beneficial features

The food supplement E330 is widely used in cooking, cosmetics and even in the oil and gas industry, due to its properties, namely:

• Good solubility.
• Safety for the environment.
• Low toxicity.
• Good combination with other chemical elements.
• It has valuable healing properties:
  • It is a participant in metabolic processes in the body that give ⅔ the necessary body energy.
  • Helps to cleanse the body of harmful substances, toxins and salts.
  • Positive effect on the digestive system: regulates acidity, enhances taste.
  • Improves eyesight.
  • Increases immunity.
  • Burns carbohydrates.
  • Removes toxins through skin cells.
  • It has valuable antitumor properties.
  • Promotes an increase in calcium in the body.
  • Normalizes the activity of psycho-neuro systems

Important! All well-known food control organizations include the aforementioned antioxidant in the class of safe for health. In the CIS, E330 is included in the list of permitted food additives.

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The use of citric acid

It is difficult enough to list all the specific ways to use this powder. But it is possible to identify areas and areas of use.

Food industry

Food supplement E330, as well as its salts: potassium citrate, sodium citrate and calcium citrate, are used as a flavoring additive, as well as a regulator of preservative and acidity.

Food additives E330-E333 are added to a wide variety of food products and are the most popular acidifiers. Citric acid not only gives the products a pleasant sour taste, but also protects them from the damaging effects of heavy metals, that is, they act as an antioxidant. This property is especially valuable in the production of drinks, bakery and confectionery.

Important! This flavoring additive not only gives freshness to carbonated, non-carbonated alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, but also is a regulator of acidity.

Additive E330 is used as one of the components of baking powder in the manufacture of bakery and confectionery products.Combined with alkalis (for example, baking soda), the E330 additive reacts violently with the release of carbon dioxide. Thanks to this test, splendor and airiness are given.

The properties of the food additive allow it to be used for the production of such products as:

• Ketchup.
• Mayonnaise.
• Jelly.
• Sauces.
• Jams.
• Canned food - meat, vegetables, fish.
• Gravy.
• Processed cheeses.
• Frozen food.
• Confectionery.
• Fruit and berry canned food.
• Cold teas.
• Tonic drinks.
• Dry drinks.
• Effervescent Vitamins.
• Drinks for sports.
• Carbonated and non-carbonated drinks.
• Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

Important! Citric acid is used as a preservative in order to increase the shelf life of products. Due to its properties, it is indispensable in the domestic environment when harvesting vegetables, fruits, berries, salads, etc. for the winter.

Cosmetics

The E330 additive is an integral part of many cosmetic preparations: lotions, elixirs, creams, hair fixers, shampoos, etc.

The valuable cosmetic properties of this antioxidant include:

• The ability to tighten the enlarged pores of the skin.
• Whitening (depigmenting) properties.
• Strengthens nails.

Application Tips:

1. To get rid of freckles, age spots, use a 2-3% solution of concentrated acid powder or juice of fresh lemon. The skin after applying this antioxidant will not only be clean, but will also acquire a matte shade.
2. To strengthen your nails, use this powder, dissolving with lactic or malic acid.

Important! Do not use citric acid too often, so as not to provoke softening of the nail.

Use and apply this dietary supplement with caution, as:

• Dry powder, as well as its too saturated solution, can provoke irritation of the skin in people with sensitive skin.
• Inhalation of a dry acid powder causes irritation to the respiratory tract.
• In case of contact with eyes, the antioxidant causes severe irritation.
• Excessive intake of food supplement E330 can damage tooth enamel.
• A single use of a large amount of the supplement can provoke a cough and irritation of the gastric mucosa.

At home

Citric acid is used at home, not only in cooking, but also in other cases. For example:

1. It is used to treat sore throats. Prepare a 30% citric acid solution and gargle every 30 minutes during the day.

Important! In the absence of dry powder, use for treatment 2-3 slices of fresh lemon without a peel. Throwing your head back slightly, slowly dissolve them so that the juice envelops the walls of the throat. It is recommended to repeat the procedure every hour until the painful symptoms are relieved.

2. Used to clean the kettle from scale. Proceed as follows:
   • Pour water into the kettle slightly above the plaque that has not settled on the walls.
   • Add 30 g of citric acid.
   • Boil the solution.
   • Drain the water with citric acid and scale that has peeled off the walls.
   • Boil a kettle with clean water.

Important! Carry out the descaling procedure as necessary.

3. To clean the iron from scale:
   • Dissolve 25 g of the product in a glass of water.
   • Pour the prepared solution into the iron tank.
   • Turn on the iron at maximum temperature.
   • Clean the appliance by pressing the steam button.
   • After cleaning, carry out the same procedure with clean water several times.
4. Used to cleanse silver:
   • Dissolve 20 g of citric acid in 1 liter of water.
   • Pour the solution into the container.
   • Place silver items (chains, rings, coins, dishes, etc.) in a container.
   • Boil the products in solution.
   • After cleaning, rinse the silver with running water and dry.
5. Used in the preparation of a nutrient solution for cut roses:
   • Dissolve 40 g of sugar and 0.2 g of citric acid in one liter of water.
   • Put roses in the solution.

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How to make citric acid?

Lemons and oranges were the main sources of food supplement E330, which was produced mainly in Italy. In the middle of the 19th century, the first crystalline citric acid plants began to operate in Italy. Later, similar plants began operating in California, Western India and the Hawaiian Islands.

For a long time, valuable powder was obtained from the biomass of lemon or shag, but it was very unproductive, since only one contains 5-8% acid in one lemon, and in fact the world uses 400 mln tons of E330 additive every year. Therefore, it has been going on for more than 60 years Aspergillus niger molds are used to produce such a product. Subsequently, many production strains for the biosynthesis of citric acid from sucrose were selected from this type of fungus. Fungi, eating sugary substances or sugar, secrete the desired substance in large quantities.

Important! Recently, experiments on the biosynthesis of food additive E330 with yeast from paraffins and lower alcohols have been successfully completed.

It is generally recognized that the production of citric acid by chemical methods is not economically feasible, since:

• The cost of raw materials is much higher than the cost of molasses (sugar substances).
• The technology is multi-stage.
• Highly toxic reagents are used.
• Low yield of the target product.

Therefore, despite great progress, such a simple substance is mainly produced from sugar-containing raw materials using microorganisms. This simplifies the technology, reduces cost and increases acid yield. As a raw material in most countries, a by-product of sugar production from sugarcane or sugar beets is used.

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We hope that you learned a lot of new, interesting and important, reading this informative article about all known, affordable food product. Use the information received, applying citric acid as necessary, but be aware of safety measures.