{"id":14692,"date":"2017-10-05T18:19:28","date_gmt":"2017-10-05T12:49:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zovon.com\/?p=14692"},"modified":"2018-08-03T15:37:38","modified_gmt":"2018-08-03T10:07:38","slug":"citric-acid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zovon.com\/?p=14692","title":{"rendered":"Citric Acid Sources, Benefits, Side Effects &#038; FAQs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;\">Biochemically citric acid is an organic acid, either naturally occurring or chemically synthesized compound and it belongs to AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid) family. \u00a0Naturally, citric acid is found in fruits and vegetables those taste sour. Organic synthesized citric acid is used for food flavoring and preservation. <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;\">It is different from <a href=\"https:\/\/zovon.com\/hot-topics\/aging\/vitamin-c\/\"><strong>Vitamin C<\/strong><\/a> (ascorbic acid). Synthesized citric acid is a water-soluble molecule whose solubility increases with rising water temperature. It is also soluble in ethanol, benzene, chloroform.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;\"><strong>Structure of Citric Acid:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;\">Citric acid is an intermediate of the Tricarboxylic Acid (TCA) cycle or Krebs cycle. It can either be anhydrous or monohydrate state. The anhydrous form is crystallized from hot water, whereas, the monohydrate form is crystallized from cold water. Its IUPAC name is 2-Hydroxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid. Its chemical composition is C6H8O7.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;\"><strong> The structure is illustrated below:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-31447 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/zovon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/img-structure-of-citric-acid-2017-10.jpg\" alt=\"structure of citric acid\" width=\"700\" height=\"470\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"Sources\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;\"><strong>Sources of Citric Acid:<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">It can either be naturally occurring or synthesized chemically.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><strong><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;\"> Natural citric acid:<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">Naturally, it is found in a lot of common fruits such as oranges, limes, lemons, grapes etc. lemons and limes contain the highest amount of citric acid.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">Berries such as cranberry, strawberry, raspberry, gooseberries, cherries, blackcurrant, redcurrant etc. contain citric acid.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">Tamarind and pineapples are other fruits those contain natural citric acid.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">Among vegetables, lettuce, spinach, and tomatoes are the natural sources.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;\"><strong>Synthesized citric acid:<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">Synthesized citric acid is solid crystalline and colorless. It is highly used in beverages.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">Synthesized citric acid can be found in soft drinks, jam, jelly, ice-creams, sauces, mayonnaise, cheese spread, canned fruits, and vegetables.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">Wine and sourdough bread also contain synthesized citric acid.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"Benefits\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong> <span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;\"> Benefits of Citric Acid:<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\"> It has a huge natural resource in fruits and vegetables and beneficial for health. At the same time, chemical <a href=\"https:\/\/pubs.acs.org\/doi\/abs\/10.1021\/ja01129a065\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><strong>synthesis of citric acid<\/strong><\/a> is cost effective and has a large market as a beverage ingredient. It has several effects on human skin, kidney, and metabolic system and reduces fat as well. The synthesized citric acid also has a number of industrial applications. Some important application of natural and synthetic citric acid is listed below:<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><strong><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;\"> Some important application of natural and synthetic citric acid is listed below:<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">It helps to kill bacteria and virus.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">It converts carbohydrates into carbon dioxide (CO2) that increases metabolism and supplies energy faster.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">It prevents kidney stones. It makes urine unfavorable for stone forming. It inhibits problems caused by the small stones and sometimes prevents their enlargement<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">Highly used in preserving food and beverages. It adds a sour flavor to foods.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">It is used for medical purposes such as ingestion, personal care.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">It is a good cleaning agent against grease; used for cleaning bathroom and kitchen.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">Citric acid is a fine chelating agent that bound ions of molecules and strengthen the metal.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">It inhibits corrosion of stainless steel.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">Used in developing the photographic film.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">It is used to create an acidic environment to catalyze the ripening mechanism while preparing cheese and mozzarella.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;\"> Some More Important Facts about Citric Acid<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">Citric acids are an alkalizing agent that makes the urine less acidic and reduces the chance of kidney stone.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">It is harmful to patients who are suffering from kidney failure.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">Heart patients should stay away from this element.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">Citric acid is not a nutrient for the ones who have an excess level of potassium in their blood.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">This keeps urinary tract clean and prevents infection.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">\u00a0 It could be a toxic element during pregnancy.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"Side_effects\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;\">Side-effects of Citric Acid:<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><strong><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;\"> Excess supply of citric acid in the human body could be harmful in several ways mentioned below:<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">The most common symptom caused by citric acid surplus is stomach cramps or pain.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">Diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite are some health problems caused by the overdose of citric acid.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">Coughing up in blood, slow breathing, irregular heartbeat are severe physiological problems one could experience due to the overdose of citric acid.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">Restlessness, muscle pain, swelling, tingling in hands and feet.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">Black, bloody stools, convulsions<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">Nervousness, irritation, mood swings<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"FAQ\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;\">FAQs:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;\"><strong>What people normally want to know about Citric Acid?<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><strong><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;\"> 1. Is citric acid safe for skin?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"> citric acid is safe in proper concentration in skin care or beauty care products. This could brighten dull skin. Excess concentration of citric acid in daily used skin care products may cause skin irritation, dryness, itching etc. It can be extracted from corm for industrial use. If anyone has the corn sensitivity, must check the source of the product carefully.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><strong><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;\"> 2. What are the differences between citric acid and vitamin C?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\"> Although both of them are organic acids yet actually different chemically. Vitamin C is ascorbic acid and not at all citric acid. Citrus fruits are the warehouse of both citric acid and ascorbic acid but compositionally citric acid contains one extra oxygen atom than ascorbic acid. It&#8217;s an excellent food additive for its sour taste, whereas, ascorbic acid is a better food preservative. It produced synthetically in a large number for its varied uses in foods and beverages. Ascorbic acid is strictly natural and available in fruits, vegetables, milk etc.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><strong> <span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;\"> 3. Does citric acid reduce weight?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\"> Citrus fruits are helpful for their antioxidant and fa burning properties. It helps in increasing metabolism too that reduces fat. Although there&#8217;s no direct correlation between consumption of citric acid and reducing fat, yet they are helpful and healthy too. Result says lemon in warm water with one spoon honey in empty stomach is a home remedy against fat. It too improves digestion system.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><strong><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;\"> 4. Which fruits are the best source of citric acid?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\"> Limes and lemons are the best sources of citric acid. Others include green apple, grapefruits, berries, grapes, oranges. Green vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, parsley are sources of citric acid. Other than natural sources, jam, jelly, cheese are some other chemical sources of citric acid.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><strong><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;\"> 5. What bacteria produces citric acid?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\"> It is\u00a0produced by submerged fermentation using Aspergillus niger and Candida sp. From different sources of carbohydrates like starch and molasses.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><strong><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;\"> 6. Is citric acid all natural?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\"> It is available in the citrus-fruits and green vegetables are natural. But for its extensive and versatile usage, it also chemically produced in a large amount. It is also synthesized by bacteria through the submerged fermentation process.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Biochemically citric acid is an organic acid, either naturally occurring or chemically synthesized compound and it belongs to AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid) family. \u00a0Naturally, citric acid is found in fruits and vegetables those taste sour. Organic synthesized citric acid is used for food flavoring and preservation. It is different from Vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Synthesized [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":16869,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12666],"tags":[24546,26165],"class_list":{"0":"post-14692","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-aging","8":"tag-aging","9":"tag-citric-acid"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zovon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zovon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zovon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zovon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zovon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14692"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/zovon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14692\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zovon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zovon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zovon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zovon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}