Citric Acid

Description

Due to its acidic and sour taste, the dominant application of citric acid is as a flavour and as a preservative in food and beverages industry. It is used in culinary applications where an acid is needed for either its chemical properties or for its sour flavour, but a dry ingredient is needed and additional flavours are unwanted (e.g., instead of vinegar or lemon juice). It is widely used in the beverage industry as an acidulant, which is used extensively in carbonated beverages for flavouring and buffering. It is also used in the food canning industry to help reduce heat processing while also preventing enzymatic oxidation. In the frozen food industry Citric acid plays large role in the stability of frozen foods.Citric Acid is an excellent chelating agent, binding metals. Citric acid is also used in numerous pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications.