Citric acid is a natural, weak organic acid that is found in many fruits and vegetables, especially citrus. Citric acid is prized for its sour flavor, preservative quality, and ability to act as a pH buffer. For these reasons, citric acid is found on the ingredient list of many food products today. It is the most widely used organic acidulate across all industries because it:
- Buffers PH levels
- Stabilises colour, taste, flavour and vitamins
- Acts as a preservative to many foods and beverages
- Provides solubility in many pharmaceutical products
- Chelates metals (forms molecules with metal ions making them inactive to avoid reaction with other elements
- Acts as a non-corrosive descaler in many applications
Citric Acid Popular Uses
Bath Bombs | Ceramic Tiles | Coffee Makers | Descaling | Dishwashers | Irons | Kettle Descaler | Lime Scale Remover | Machine Cleaner | Shower Heads | Sinks | Sterilisers | Taps | | Beer | Elderflower Cordial | Elderflower Wine | Home Brew | Lemonade | Preservative | Sherbet | Soft Drinks | Wine
Sterilisers: For sterilisers you do need to descale this unit every 4 weeks, use 1 sachet with 150-200 mls of water. Take everything out of the unit, and place the water and citric acid in and switch on for 2-3 minutes. Kettles: Half fill a kettle and boil, then empty 1-2 sachets of citric acid (10-20 gms) into the kettle and let it stand for about half an hour. Reboil and pour away the water, reboil with fresh water and pour away. The kettle is ready for use again. Bath Bombs: The simplest bath bombs contain two parts sodium bicarbonate to one part citric acid, with just enough moisture to make the powder stick together-much like new-fallen snow packs into a snowball. Bath bombs can be formulated with oils and butters, such as almond oil and shea butter. Other Appliances: Also for use with coffee makers, humidifiers, bottle warmers, sinks, showers, taps and ceramic tiles. Please refer to any manuals that came with your appliances for specific usage about cleaning.
Uses of Citric Acid in Food
Approximately 50% of the world’s citric acid production is used as a flavor enhancer in beverages. Citric acid is used in soft drinks, teas, juices, and other beverages to create a slightly tart, refreshing flavor and balance sweetness.
The acidic pH of citric acid also makes it useful as a preservative. Since many bacteria are unable to grow in an acidic environment, citric acid is often added to jams, jellies, candy, canned foods, and even meat products as a preservative.
Because citric acid can be made in a powder form, it can be used in dry foods when a sour flavor is desired. Citric acid is therefore a dry alternative to lemon juice or vinegar in dry foods such as seasoning salts, flavoring powders, and crunchy snacks.
Citric acid is sometimes used to create an acidic environment and facilitate the ripening process when making cheese, particularly mozzarella.Citric acid is also used to adjust the pH of solutions when brewing both beer and wine.
The acid pH of citric acid also makes it useful as a dietary supplement. Many minerals require an acidic pH for absorption. Citric acid is added to vitamin supplements to make some vitamins biologically available for absorption.
DIRECTIONS FOR USE
When and How to Use
When used for cleaning, citric acid is always dissolved in water first. The concentration depends on the application. A solution of 100 g citric acid (roughly 4 ounces) in 1 liter (roughly a quart) of water will make an excellent descaling solution.
INGREDIENTS
100% Pure Citric Acid (Buffered pH Level) - Not the Cheaper Quality