Citric acid

Citric acid (CAS 77-92-9), also designated E330 in food and beverage applications, is a multi-functional organic acid used across food, pharmaceutical, personal care, and industrial sectors.

Where is Citric acid used?

• Food and beverage: acidifies soft drinks, confectionery, and preserved foods
• Pharmaceutical: buffers effervescent tablets, oral solutions, and topical preparations
• Personal care: pH adjuster in shampoos, creams, and rinse-off products
• Water treatment: sequesters calcium and heavy metal ions
• It controls pH, chelates metal ions, and acts as an acidulant and preservative.
• In cheese and other dairy products, regulates acidity.
• In jam and confectionery production, acts as a crystallization inhibitor.

Good to know: Its chelating action neutralizes hard water minerals that would otherwise destabilize emulsions or affect clarity. This prevents scale formation in industrial systems and cleaning-in-place circuits.

Formulation notes

• Can be oxidized with various oxidizing agents.
• Anhydrous form is preferred in dry powder mixtures and effervescent products that are more sensitive to moisture.

Typical specification

• Food grade anhydrous assay is specified between 99.5% and 100.5% on an anhydrous basis.
• Water content is specified at not more than 0.5%.
• Monohydrate has CAS number 5949-29-1.
• Arsenic content is specified at a maximum of 1.00 ppm.
• Heavy metals expressed as lead are specified at a maximum of 5.0 ppm.

Regulatory status

• INCI name is Citric Acid.
• Anhydrous food grade is not regulated for transport.

Frequently asked questions about Citric acid

What forms and grades of citric acid are available on the market?

Citric acid is available in anhydrous form and in food grade, industrial grade, and technical grade.

How does citric acid function in jellies, marmalades, and fruit preserves?

It triggers pectin gel formation in jellies and marmalades to stabilize consistency, and stops enzyme activity in fruit and vegetable preserves, preventing browning and preserving color and freshness.

Technical content is compiled and updated by the SoleChem product team from public technical sources; the certificate of analysis (COA) governs product-specific specifications.