What is citric acid

In our daily life, everyone is very familiar with lemons, but how much do you know about citric acid? Although there is only one letter difference, citric acid and lemon are completely different things. Citric acid is a colorless crystal that dissolves easily in water. Citric acid is now used in many places, such as food additives, cleaning products, skin care products, pharmaceutical products and many other fields.

What is citric acid?

Citric acid is also a commonly used food additive. It can be added to various beverages as a condiment. It is also a great meat tenderizer because citric acid has a tendency to break down meat proteins. But it has a bitter taste, so its main use in food is to add sourness to candies. When you buy sour candies, you may notice that they are covered in a white powder. This is the citric acid that gives the candy its sour taste.

Uses of Citric Acid

1. Used in food industry

Because citric acid has a mild and refreshing sour taste, it is commonly used in the manufacture of various beverages, sodas, wines, candies, snacks, biscuits, canned juices, dairy products and other foods. Among all organic acids, citric acid has a market share of more than 70%, and there is currently no acidulant that can replace citric acid. One molecule of crystalline water citric acid is mainly used as an acidic seasoning for refreshing drinks, juices, jams, fruit candies and canned foods, and can also be used as an antioxidant for edible oils. At the same time, it improves the sensory properties of food, enhances appetite and promotes the digestion and absorption of calcium and phosphorus in the body.

2. Used in chemical, pharmaceutical and textile industries

In chemical technology, citric acid can be used as a chemical analysis reagent, an experimental reagent, a chromatographic analysis reagent, and a biochemical reagent; it can be used as a chelating agent, a masking agent, and it can be used to prepare buffer solutions. Using citric acid or citrates as a detergent can improve the performance of detergent products, quickly precipitate metal ions, prevent pollutants from re-attaching to fabrics, maintain the necessary alkalinity for washing; disperse and suspend dirt and ash; improve the performance of surfactants, and is an excellent chelating agent; it can be used as a reagent to test the acid resistance of architectural ceramic tiles.

3. Citric acid-sodium citrate buffer for flue gas desulfurization

my country is rich in coal resources, which constitute the main part of its energy. However, there has been a lack of effective flue gas desulfurization technology, resulting in serious atmospheric SO2 pollution. At present, my country's annual SO2 emissions are nearly 40 million tons, and it is imperative to study effective desulfurization technology. Citric acid-sodium citrate buffer solution is a desulfurization absorbent with great development value due to its low vapor pressure, non-toxicity, stable chemical properties, and high SO2 absorption rate.

4. Used in poultry and livestock production

Adding citric acid to piglet feed can promote early weaning, improve feed utilization by 5% to 10%, and increase sow litter size. Adding 1% to 2% citric acid to the diet of growing and finishing pigs can increase daily weight gain, reduce feed-to-meat ratio, increase protein digestibility, reduce back fat thickness, and improve meat quality and carcass characteristics. Rare earth citrate is a new type of high-efficiency feed additive suitable for various animals such as pigs, chickens, fish, shrimps, cattle, sheep, rabbits, silkworms, etc. It has the characteristics of promoting animal growth, improving product quality, enhancing disease resistance and survival rate, improving feed conversion rate, and shortening feeding cycle. At this point we have to admit that citric acid has a wide range of uses.

5. Used in cosmetics

Citric acid is a type of fruit acid. Its main function is to accelerate the renewal of cuticles. It is commonly used in lotions, creams, shampoos, whitening products, anti-aging products, acne products, etc. The renewal of keratin helps to remove melanin from the skin, shrink pores, dissolve blackheads, etc. For example, Biotherm Thermal Spring Soothing Cleansing Mousse leaves skin soft and comfortable, with a fresh and pure complexion.

6. Used for sterilization

The combined effect of citric acid and 80°C temperature has a good effect in killing bacterial spores, and can effectively kill bacterial spores contaminated in the hemodialysis machine pipeline. Lemon, known as the "King of Western Food", has a strong bactericidal effect and is very beneficial to food hygiene. Coupled with the fresh fragrance of lemon, people have always liked to use it to make cold dishes, which are not only delicious and refreshing, but also can increase appetite.

7. Used in medicine

According to traditional Chinese medicine, lemon is warm in nature, bitter in taste, non-toxic, and has the functions of quenching thirst, promoting salivation, dispelling heat and stagnating the fetus, relieving stagnation, strengthening the stomach, relieving pain, etc. It is a diuretic and can regulate vascular permeability. It is suitable for girls with edema and puffiness. Smokers should eat more lemons because they need twice as much vitamin C as non-smokers. Lemon is low in calories and has strong contractility, so it helps reduce fat and is a good remedy for weight loss. Lemon can prevent cardiovascular arteriosclerosis and reduce blood viscosity. Hot lemon juice with honey is very effective in treating bronchitis and nasopharyngitis. Gandhi moistens the lungs, sourness quenches thirst, stimulates the appetite and detoxifies alcohol, whitens, moisturizes the skin, and lowers cholesterol. The remaining brew can be applied on the face to treat facial spots and acne.