Citric Acid Anhydrous, 12 Oz. - USP Food Grade & Non-GMO- Natural Food Preservative, All Purpose Cleaning Agent, Beauty Ingredient

What is Citric Acid?

Citric acid is a weak organic acid that is most commonly found in citrus fruits. It is both naturally occurring and also synthetically added to foods and other products. But, because it is an intermediate in the citric acid cycle it occurs naturally in the metabolism process of all aerobic organisms. It has the molecular formula C6H807 or CH2COOH-C(OH)-CH2COOH. It has been used in the canning and jarring industry for over 100 years. Citric Acid can be used in a variety of ways including preserving, flavoring, and as an emulsifying agent. Citric Acid is one of the most common food additives currently used on the market. Adding food grade Citric Acid to canned, jarred, or even frozen foods can help prevent botulism by preventing bacterial colonization. When sold commercially, it is sold in a dry powder form that looks a lot like regular table salt.

What Does USP Mean?

The USP designation is important to look out for when purchasing products to be used in food or medical grade products. USP stands for the United States Pharmacopeia and designates that a certain product has been manufactured using a standard, approved, and uniform process. This designation also guarantees that they have undergone the proper testing and ensures that they have met certain standards. Any product that holds the USP designation is guaranteed to meet necessary identity, potency, purity, and performance standards.

History

Citric Acid has a long and interesting history. It was first discovered based on the scientific discoveries of Carl Wilhelm Scheele in 1784. However, it did not start being used for industrial purposes until the end of the 19th century. During the First World War, American scientist James Currie, learned how to make this acid out of mold. Large companies like Pfizer quickly picked up the process and started mass-producing this form of acid to be used in a variety of ways.

Uses in Foods and Drinks

Even though food grade Citric Acid is comparatively a weak acid, it is one of the stronger acids that is considered safe for human consumption. It can be used in almost any type of food for flavoring and preservation. Further, it can be used as an emulsifier in high fat content foods like ice cream. When acting as an emulsifier it keeps the foods the proper consistency by preventing the fats from separating. In addition, because it so closely resembles table salt in its appearance it is commonly used by chefs as a replacement for lemon juice or vinegar.

Household Cleaners

Citric acid can be used in two ways in household cleaning products; first as a buffering agent, and second as a chelating agent. Buffering occurs when a compound added to another substance either increases or decreases the acidic or basic quality of the liquid. In this way it can help control the pH level of the end product, allowing for slight manipulation based on the desired use. When used as a buffering agent, Citric Acid helps to maintain the pH of the cleaning solution to make it most suitable for cleaning and making the product safe to use.

On the other hand, chelating is a process that binds metal partials together making them soluble. When used as a chelating agent it binds metal partials found in hard water to each other producing a foam that allows for the easy cleanup of hard substances without requiring extra time for softening. This allows for easy cleanup of hard to