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What does citric acid do? Is it harmful to your body?
sourceChemical Technology Network
publisherAlisa
time2022/10/31
- What does citric acid do? Is it harmful to your body?
What is the function of citric acid
Citric acid is also called citric acid, and its chemical name is 2-hydroxypropane 1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid. According to the different water content, it can be divided into citric acid monohydrate and citric acid anhydrous. Citric acid is widely used, accounting for more than 75% of the production in the food industry. It can be used as a food acid, antioxidant, pH regulator, and in cool drinks, jams, cakes and other foods. It is used in the pharmaceutical industry, accounting for about 10%, mainly as anticoagulant, antacid and cosmetics. It is used in the chemical industry, which accounts for about 15%. It is used as buffer, complexing agent and toner. It is widely used in the fields of electronics, textiles, petroleum and ceramics.
At room temperature, citric acid is colorless semi transparent, citric acid crystal or white particles or white crystalline powder, odorless, extremely sour, and slightly deliquescent in humid air. It can exist in the form of hydrate free or monohydrate: when citric acid crystallizes from hot water, hydrate free is generated; Monohydrate is formed when crystallized in cold water. When heated to 78 ℃, the monohydrate will be decomposed to hydrate free. At 15 ℃, citric acid can also be dissolved in absolute ethanol.
In terms of food additives, they are mainly used in carbonated drinks, fruit juice drinks, lactic acid drinks and other cool drinks and pickled products, and their demand varies with the seasonal climate. Citric acid accounts for about 2/3 of the total consumption of acid flavoring agent. Adding citric acid to canned fruits can maintain or improve the flavor of the fruits in the library, increase the acidity (lower pH value) of some fruits with low acidity during storage, weaken the heat resistance of microorganisms and inhibit their growth, and prevent bacterial swelling and destruction of canned fruits with low acidity. Adding citric acid in candy as a sour agent is easy to coordinate with fruit taste. The use of citric acid in gel food, jam and jelly can effectively reduce the negative charge of pectin, so that the hydrogen bond between pectin molecules can bind to gel. When processing canned vegetables, some vegetables show alkaline reaction. Using citric acid as pH regulator can not only play a role in flavoring, but also maintain their quality. Citric acid has the characteristics of chelation and pH value adjustment, so that it can increase the performance of antioxidants, inhibit enzyme activity and extend the shelf life of food in the processing of quick frozen food.
Is citric acid harmful to your health
Citric acid, also known as citric acid, is an organic compound with a white to colorless crystal appearance. Odorless, cool, salty and spicy. Stable at room temperature and in air, slightly soluble in wet air, and weathered in hot air. Heat to 150 ℃ to lose crystal water. Easily soluble in water, soluble in glycerin, insoluble in alcohols and other organic solvents, it is decomposed by overheating, slightly deliquescence in a humid environment, and slightly weathered in hot air. The ph value of the solution is about 8.
As the raw materials for preparing sodium citrate are basically from grain, it is absolutely safe and reliable, and will not harm human health. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization do not impose any restrictions on its daily intake, so it can be considered as non-toxic. However, citrate and calcium ions in the blood form a complex that is difficult to dissociate. Calcium ions are one of the substances needed in the blood coagulation process. The reduction of calcium ions in the blood impedes blood coagulation. When fresh blood is taken clinically, sodium citrate is used as an anticoagulant.