---

Product Specifications

Item Specification Product Name Citric Acid Abbreviation Citric Acid CAS Number 77-92-9 Molecular Formula C₆H₈O₇ Molecular Weight 192.12 Appearance White Translucent Crystalline Granule / Fine Free-Flowing Powder Assay ≥99.5% (Food Grade) Test Method GB 1886.235-2016 / USP Titration Standard Shelf Life 24 Months Storage Condition Store in a Cool, Dry, Airtight Place, Avoid High Humidity

Why Is Citric Acid So Popular?

The growing global popularity of Citric Acid is closely linked to its unique natural sour taste property and multi-functional performance that supports hundreds of daily industrial and wellness-related applications. It is a weak organic acid widely distributed in natural citrus fruits, which plays an irreplaceable role in:

• Regulating food and beverage acidity and balancing flavor profiles
• Acting as a powerful natural antioxidant and preservative aid
• Chelating metal ions to extend product shelf life
• Supporting nutritional mineral absorption as a food fortification processing aid
• Adjusting pH value for cosmetic and personal care formulations

Research has shown that modern consumers increasingly prefer natural, safe, non-harmful acidity regulators over synthetic chemical additives. As the most widely used, cost-effective organic acid produced through sugar fermentation, Citric Acid has obtained global food safety certification across nearly all regions, making it the absolute cornerstone of modern food, beverage, personal care and daily nutritional product formulations.

Key Benefits of Citric Acid

• Balances Flavor & Enhances Palatability

Citric Acid delivers a bright, clean and refreshing natural sour taste that perfectly masks the unpleasant aftertaste of ingredients such as sweetness, bitterness and fishy odors. It greatly enhances the overall flavor layering of beverages, candies and functional foods, making products far more acceptable to mass consumers.

• Acts As A High-Efficiency Antioxidant Shelf Life Extender

By chelating trace metal ions that trigger oxidative spoilage, Citric Acid effectively inhibits browning, fat oxidation and flavor degradation, greatly extending the shelf life of food and nutritional products without adding harsh chemical preservatives, perfectly meeting clean label product development needs.

• Boosts Mineral Absorption in Nutritional Formulations

Citric Acid can form highly soluble chelates with mineral nutrients such as calcium, iron and zinc, significantly improving their water solubility and human body absorption rate, making it an ideal processing aid to enhance the nutritional performance of fortified food and supplement products.

• Supports Gentle Daily Personal Care Formulations

With its mild pH regulating property, Citric Acid effectively adjusts the acidity of skin care products and cleaning supplies, helps maintain the natural weak acidic barrier of skin and hair, and delivers gentle, non-irritating performance suitable for sensitive group applications.

• Perfectly Fits Mass Market Universal Wellness Formulations

With its extremely high safety profile, excellent water solubility and low production cost, Citric Acid is one of the most versatile multi-functional ingredients that perfectly adapts to almost all mass consumer product development scenarios.

Applications

Citric Acid is widely used across multiple industry categories, including:

• Carbonated Drinks, Juices & Functional Beverages
• Confectionery, Jams & Snack Food Products
• Dietary Supplement & Effervescent Tablet Formulations
• Food Antioxidant & Preservation Aid
• Nutritional Fortification Mineral Chelation Agent
• Personal Care & Gentle Cleaning Products
• Home Fermentation & Food Home-Making Raw Materials
• General Industrial pH Regulating Applications

Common dosage forms include:

• Anhydrous Citric Acid Crystalline Granules
• Monohydrate Citric Acid Powder
• Liquid Citric Acid Solution
• Encapsulated Slow Release Citric Acid
• Citric Acid for Effervescent Formulations
• Food Grade Acidity Regulator Blends

Citric Acid vs Other Common Food Acidity Regulators

While the food additive and wellness formulation category continues to expand, Citric Acid remains one of the most recognizable, highest safety multi-performance ingredients that dominates the global market share of acidity regulators.

Ingredient Primary Function Citric Acid Full-Featured Natural Fermentation Derived, Best Balanced Flavor Performance Malic Acid Apple Sour Taste, Lower Cost, Suitable for Solid Beverages Tartaric Acid Grape Derived, High Sour Intensity for Wine & Candy Lactic Acid Mild Sour Taste, Suitable for Fermented Food Formulations Acetic Acid Vinegar Source, Strong Pungent Odor, Narrow Application Scenarios Phosphoric Acid Mineral Derived, Strong Sour Taste for Cola Beverages

Many leading food and supplement brands combine Citric Acid with complementary sweeteners, vitamins and mineral nutrients to create comprehensive high-performance flavor and nutrition formulations.

Market Opportunity

The global food additive and functional food market continues to experience strong growth as consumers increasingly prioritize natural origin, clean label, high safety product ingredients. Several core trends are continuously fueling the rising demand for Citric Acid:

• Global food and beverage industry maintains steady high-speed development
• Clean label food market share continues to expand
• Effervescent supplement and functional beverage categories keep booming
• Consumer demand for natural preservative aids grows rapidly
• Mass industrial pH regulating market maintains stable increment

As a result, Citric Acid remains one of the most commercially attractive, high-turnover core raw materials for brands developing next-generation mass market food and daily wellness products.

Frequently Asked Questions

1.What is Citric Acid?
Citric Acid is a natural weak organic acid originally found in large amounts in citrus fruits like lemon and orange. Modern food grade Citric Acid is mainly produced through microbial fermentation of sugar raw materials such as corn starch, and it is recognized as one of the safest food additives globally.

2.Is Citric Acid safe for long-term daily consumption?
Yes. High-quality food grade Citric Acid has obtained GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) certification from the U.S. FDA and is approved for unlimited use in food products by food regulatory authorities in nearly all regions of the world. Long-term appropriate intake will not cause any adverse health effects.

3.What is the difference between Anhydrous Citric Acid and Monohydrate Citric Acid?
Anhydrous Citric Acid has no bound water molecules, is more suitable for applications that require strict moisture control such as effervescent tablets, while Monohydrate Citric Acid contains one crystal water molecule, has lower production cost, and is more widely used in general beverage and food processing scenarios.

4.What formulations can Citric Acid be used in?
Citric Acid is suitable for beverages, candies, jams, effervescent tablets, nutritional supplements, personal care products and almost all liquid, solid and semi-solid food application scenarios.

5.What purity level is typically available?
Premium food grade Citric Acid commonly has a total assay content of 99.5% or higher, fully meeting the strict food safety standards of various countries and regions.

Looking for a Reliable Citric Acid Supplier?

As demand for high quality acidity regulating ingredients continues to surge, ingredient purity, heavy metal control, batch stability and supply chain reliability have become the most critical core concerns for food brands and manufacturers. Nutrient Trail supplies high-purity, food grade Citric Acid specially optimized for beverage, food processing, dietary supplement, and personal care product applications. Comprehensive technical documentation, including specifications, COA, and full food safety related information, is available to support product development and commercialization.