Sinoright Blog
Citric acid in food functionality and health benefits
Citric acid is a common food additive and chemical that occurs naturally in citrus fruits and fruit juices. Although considered a weak organic acid, it is not an essential vitamin or mineral, and the body does not need to consume it in the diet. It can be produced both naturally, the type found in plants, and synthetically in laboratories.
In order to synthesise citric acid, the type used in the mass production of processed foods, sugar is supplied to a fungus called Aspergillus niger, a common black mould. Sugar, usually derived from sucrose, beetroot or corn syrup, is given to the fungus and then mixed with the rest of the ingredients such as ammonium nitrate, potassium phosphate, magnesium sulphate and zinc sulphate. Citric acid is formed during the fermentation process over a period of 6 to 15 days. This process has been in place since the 1920s, when microbiological production of the acid first began on a commercial scale.
As an organic acid, citric acid is part of the tricarboxylic acid or tricarboxylic acid cycle. It is present in all animal tissues and is produced by oxidative metabolic processes. Today, citrate is also made from citric acid, which is a salt or ester intended to control certain health conditions.
It is concentrated in nature in：
Natural citric acid is widely distributed in nature and is found naturally in the fruits of plants such as lemons, citrus and pineapples and in the bones, muscles and blood of animals. Many types of fruits and vegetables, especially those in the citrus genus, contain high levels of citric acid, especially lemons and limes - they contain high levels of citric acid!
Food Applications:
Citric acid plays a major role in acidity and pH regulation in food products, as it can reduce the pH of the environment to create a more stable environment, which in turn has a certain antibacterial and antioxidant effects. Citric acid does not have antioxidant properties per se, but it can increase the effect of antioxidants in the system, especially on phenol antioxidants. Citric acid is applicable to a very wide range of food categories, beverages, dairy products, fat products, frozen drinks, rice and noodle products, meat products and so on can be used, the following beverages as an example.
Colour and flavour are important evaluation criteria for beverage products, and the goodness of both is directly related to the quality. The use of citric acid in beverages gives full play to its three main features:
1, enhance the taste, citric acid itself is one of the natural components of fruit juice, added to the beverage can give the product fruit flavour, while making the acidity more mellow, there will be no abrupt feeling;
2, colour protection, citric acid can control the activity of phenol enzyme, inhibit the enzyme browning reaction produced by fruit and vegetable raw materials, at the same time, its antioxidant synergistic effect, can improve the role of the colour protection agent, to play a double role in colour protection;
3, bacteriostatic, citric acid can effectively regulate pH, is through the regulation of the environmental system to play the role of bacteriostatic antiseptic. In independent bacteriostatic experiments, citric acid on a variety of bacterial bacteriostatic effect is better than the preservative potassium sorbate. In addition, citric acid also has the role of masking odours and harmonising flavours.
Health Benefits：
Citric acid plays a major role in acidity and pH regulation in food products, as it can reduce the pH of the environment to create a more stable environment, which in turn has a certain antibacterial and antioxidant effects. Citric acid does not have antioxidant properties per se, but it can increase the effect of antioxidants in the system, especially on phenol antioxidants. Citric acid is applicable to a very wide range of food categories, beverages, dairy products, fat products, frozen drinks, rice and noodle products, meat products and so on can be used, the following beverages as an example.
Colour and flavour are important evaluation criteria for beverage products, and the goodness of both is directly related to the quality. The use of citric acid in beverages gives full play to its three main features:
1, enhance the taste, citric acid itself is one of the natural components of fruit juice, added to the beverage can give the product fruit flavour, while making the acidity more mellow, there will be no abrupt feeling;
2, colour protection, citric acid can control the activity of phenol enzyme, inhibit the enzyme browning reaction produced by fruit and vegetable raw materials, at the same time, its antioxidant synergistic effect, can improve the role of the colour protection agent, to play a double role in colour protection;
3, bacteriostatic, citric acid can effectively regulate pH, is through the regulation of the environmental system to play the role of bacteriostatic antiseptic. In independent bacteriostatic experiments, citric acid on a variety of bacterial bacteriostatic effect is better than the preservative potassium sorbate. In addition, citric acid also has the role of masking odours and harmonising flavours.