Sunday, May 5, 2013

WHAT DO U KNOW ABOUT ' CITRIC ACID ' AND IT'S USES?

WHAT DO U KNOW ABOUT ' CITRIC ACID ' AND IT'S USES?
Citric acid is a weak organic acid with the formula C6H8O7. 
It is a natural preservative/conservative and is also used to add an acidic, or sour, taste to foods and soft drinks.
Citric acid is a commodity chemical, and is used mainly as an acidifier, as a flavoring, and as a chelating agent.
[Chelation describes a particular way that ions and molecules bind metal ions.]
At room temperature, citric acid is in a white crystalline powder form. Citric acid has a sour taste.
Citric acid exists in greater than trace amounts in a variety of fruits and vegetables, most notably citrus fruits. Lemons and limes have particularly high concentrations of the acid; it can constitute as much as 8% of the dry weight of these fruits. Citric acid is responsible for the tart and sour taste of lemons. Lemons and lemon juice are one of the most concentrated sources of natural citric acid.
Also found in concentrations in citrus fruits like oranges, tomatoes apples, and grapefruits.But unfortunately, vitamin C is very easily lost from fruits and vegetables when processed. So it is reintroduced as an additive.
Citric acid can be added to ice cream as an emulsifying agent to keep fats from separating, to caramel to prevent sucrose crystallization, or to recipes in place of fresh lemon juice.
Citric acid is used with sodium bicarbonate both for ingestion e.g., powders and tablets and for personal care e.g., bath salts, bath bombs, and cleaning of grease.
Citric acid is also often used in cleaning products and sodas or fizzy drinks. Citric acid is used as a flavoring in many preparations of Vitamin C.
It can be used to soften water, which makes it useful in soaps and laundry detergents.
Citric acid sold in a dry powdered form is commonly sold in markets and groceries as "sour salt". Citric acid looks like table salt
and can be used instead of vinegar or lemon juice.
Citric acid is a natural preservative because it is able to kill most species of microbes that contaminate food and liquids, according to "Biochemistry of Human Nutrition."

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