Processed
Citric Acid
Citric acid is a sharp, crystalline organic acid found naturally in citrus and produced at scale by fermenting sugars with Aspergillus niger. In food manufacture it is the workhorse acidity regulator: it brightens soft drinks and jams, chelates metals that dull colour, and sets the pH window for jellies and bottled sauces. Food-grade crystals dissolve cleanly in water with a clean lemon-like sourness and almost no aroma of their own. Anhydrous and monohydrate grades differ mainly in water content and bulk density. Kitchen use is light-handed—too much tastes raw and metallic—while industry doses by target pH and buffer capacity. Store dry; the powder cakes if it picks up moisture.
Also known as: E330, Citric acid (E330), Citric acid, Citric acid (fermentation grade), Ácido cítrico
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Nutrition and pairings
Nutrition
Typical values per 100 g edible portion. Nutrient names open the reference page.
Nutrition Facts
Per 100 g edible portion
Amount per 100 g
- Total Fat 0 g
- Saturated Fat 0 g
- Trans Fat 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Sodium 5 mg
- Salt 0.01 g
- Total Carbohydrate 0 g
- Dietary Fibre 0 g
- Total Sugars 0 g
- Complex / starch 0 g
- Protein 0 g
- Water 0.4 g
- Energy 247 kcal
- Water 0.4 g
- Minerals 7 mg
- Major Minerals 7 mg
- Organic Acids 99.5 g
- Citric Acid 99.5 g
Minerals
Sodium: 5 · Calcium: 2 ·
Anhydrous citric acid is a pure organic acidulant (E330), not a refined sugar. EU labelling assigns organic acids 13 kJ/g (~3 kcal/g), so 100 g yields about 247 kcal of metabolizable energy, with essentially all mass as citric acid—not glucose, fructose, or starch. Vitamins other than this acid itself are absent.
History
Carl Wilhelm Scheele isolated citric acid from lemon juice.
Citrus-extraction plants supplied crystal citric acid for soft drinks and confectionery.
Industrial mould fermentation made citric acid independent of citrus harvests.
Anhydrous and monohydrate food grades became standard acidity regulators worldwide.