Citric acid (CA), also known as citric acid, is an important organic acid. It is a colorless crystal, odorless, has a strong sour taste, is easily soluble in water, and is an acidity regulator (GB2760- 2014) and food additives.
food industry
Citric acid is the most biochemically produced organic acid in the world. Citric acid and salts are one of the pillar products of the fermentation industry, mainly used in the food industry, such as sour agents, solubilizers, buffers, antioxidants, Deodorizing agent, flavor enhancer, gelling agent, toner, etc.
In terms of food additives, it is mainly used in refreshing beverages such as carbonated beverages, fruit juice beverages, and lactic acid beverages, and pickled products, and its demand varies with seasonal climate changes. Citric acid accounts for about 2/3 of the total consumption of sour agents. Adding citric acid to canned fruit can maintain or improve the flavor of the fruit, increase the acidity (reduce the pH value) of some fruits with low acidity when stored in cans, weaken the heat resistance of microorganisms and inhibit their growth, and prevent low acidity. Bacterial expansion and damage often occur in canned fruit. Adding citric acid to the candy as a sour agent is easy to harmonize with the fruity taste. The use of citric acid in gel food such as jam and jelly can effectively reduce the negative charge of pectin, so that the hydrogen bonds between pectin molecules can be gelled. When processing canned vegetables, some vegetables are alkaline, and using citric acid as a pH regulator can not only play a seasoning role, but also maintain its quality. Citric acid has the characteristics of chelation and pH adjustment, so that it can increase the performance of antioxidant, inhibit enzyme activity and prolong the shelf life of food in the processing of quick-frozen food.