What is citric acid?
Besides the most common spelling citric acid, citric acid or the English citric acid is also common. Citric acid is a naturally occurring carboxylic acid. This acid was isolated as an organic acid from lemon juice over 200 years ago. Therefore the compound with the formula C6H8O7 got its well-known name citric acid. The name citric acid is naturally much easier to pronounce than other names such as 3-carboxy-3-hydroxypentanedioic acid. The name of citric acid should not overlook the fact that this acid is very widespread in nature. The acid is found in apples, pears, cherries and many other fruits.
Even the human body produces citric acid. Citric acid is used in many different applications such as a cleaner (especially for decalcifying - with the power of the lemon), as a flavouring agent for food (to achieve an acidic taste) and as a preservative, as many bacteria are less active in an acidic environment.
Citric acid available in the trade and from major distributors is often advertised with an image of lemons, but it is also a product manufactured on a large scale. Here, a mould processes sugar-containing molasses or glucose on a large scale. Normally this mass comes from sugar beets and corn or from sweet potatoes or other starchy plants. The product offered by DistrEbution GmbH is imported from Asia (China) and is therefore very competitive on the European market.
The lemon juice extracted from lemons contains about 5-8 % citric acid. Therefore it is also possible to use freshly pressed lemon juice in many places. We recommend this especially for smaller applications when it comes to food. Commercially available are also solutions made of citric acid, which can easily be produced from our pure citric acid itself. For household cleaners and other technical applications we also recommend using pure citric acid. These can be purchased in smaller quantities from our shop. We are also happy to supply you in large quantities. In this case we are looking forward to a personal contact in order to be able to give you the best possible advice.
Classical fields of application of citric acid:
Citric acid as a cleaner:
- Descaler
- Simple & inexpensive all-purpose cleaner
- For the addition to dishwashing powder
- Rinse aid for the dishwasher
- Microwave and oven cleaning aid (citric acid solution)
Citric acid for laundry
- Homemade washing powder
- Remove yellow stains from white T-shirts
- Clean shirt and blouse collar
- Fabric conditioner
Citric acid as active ingredient in skin care products
- Bath chocolates
Citric acid in the kitchen
- During boiling down
- Producing sherbet powder yourself
- Homemade sports drinks
