About the product:
Product Description:
Citric acid is an acid found in citrus fruits, berries, and some other foods. It’s a naturally occurring chemical and is a part of the ‘citric acid cycle’. It’s a metabolism cycle of all living things. This substance is truly extraordinary in its abilities as a flavoring, chelating agent, and other applications. You can use Citric Acid from Food To Live to cook deliciously tart foods, ensure your meats and canned goods are well-preserved, enhance your beauty, and make your own ‘green’ household cleansers.
Food Grade Citric Acid from Food To Live: Pros
Food To Live Citric Acid offers a variety of advantages. It’s an extremely versatile product that has so many possible applications, you should consider getting it in bulk. There is a use for citric acid in almost every area of your life. Most importantly, it can help you reduce the use of potentially dangerous synthetic chemical products, such as cleansers.
Ways to use citric acid powder at home include, but aren’t limited to:
Citric acid (liquid, powder, or granular) also acts as a mild antiseptic. Considering the fact that it’s safe and organic, it’ll be an invaluable cleaning aid for homes with small children and people suffering from allergies.
What Does Citric Acid Do?
Citric acid takes part in a variety of complicated chemical reactions. In the majority of its applications, people use the substance’s ability to affect the product’s acidity and act as a preservative (foods, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals).
You also shouldn’t forget that this substance is an acid (albeit a very mild one). This is why it can dissolve grease stains and other types of dirt. As the solution is very mild, it doesn’t harm the surface. Citric acid cleansers work especially well for glass and can be used for polishing.
Citric Acid Powder: Benefits
Citric acid powder isn’t a nutrient, so you shouldn’t use it as some kind of supplement or superfood. However, it’s valuable for the metabolism because it enhances the activity of antioxidants. Therefore, it boosts their efficiency in enhancing your general wellbeing. Its natural tartness can be helpful in dealing with acid reflux.
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Is Citric Acid Bad for You?
Citric acid is not bad for you. It can only cause a negative reaction in the extremely rare case of allergy or when you consume too much of it. This type of ‘overdose’ usually results in stomachache and cramps. In very rare cases the situation can get severe and result in bloody stool, skin rash, and an increase in the frequency of urination.
However, consuming ‘too much’ citric acid is a difficult feat to achieve as it’s perfectly safe in the amounts regularly found in food. Therefore, the cases of ‘overdose’ are mostly accidental.
Vitamin C Vs. Pure Citric Acid Vs. Ascorbic Acid
People often get confused regarding ascorbic acid, vitamin C, and citric acid as some sources use these terms interchangeably. However, you must understand the difference so that you can safely plan your diet and other uses for the amazing substance that is organic citric acid.
First of all, the terms ‘vitamin C’ and ‘ascorbic acid’ really can be used as substitutes for one another as ascorbic acid is a variety of this vitamin. For all intents and purposes, they are the same thing, and most products that contain vitamin C usually have a high content of ascorbic acid.
Citric acid is different, though it’s a naturally occurring element present in citrus fruits alongside ascorbic acid. This substance is what makes these foods tart, and ascorbic acid is actually very bitter to taste.
Both these substances are used in a variety of food products. However, while citric acid is a flavoring and preservative, ascorbic acid is a nutrient. As vitamin C is water-based and evaporates during the processing of most products. The foods containing it are later enriched with ascorbic acid to make up for the loss.
Citric Acid Powder: Uses in Beauty and Pharmaceutics
Due to its status as a FDA approved preservative and unique chemical properties, citric acid is widely used in the pharmaceuticals and beauty industries. It’s often present in medicinal and cosmetic products in very small amounts and acts as a ‘processing aid’. Depending on the amount of citric acid in the solution, it might not even be listed on the label.
One of the most common applications of citric acid in the beauty products is chemical peels. You can also include it in a variety of homemade cleansing and whitening solutions.
Combining citric acid powder with baking soda and some essential oils will allow you to create your own bath bombs. They soften the water and improve the look of your skin, as well as add a note of fun to taking a bath. Handmade bath bombs also make great gifts.
One of the main benefits of using organic citric acid in cosmetics is that it’s suitable for all skin types. As this element rarely triggers an allergic reaction, these solutions are generally safe for everyone.
Note that citric acid is usually the element responsible for the soft foam formed by shampoos and soaps.
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Is Citric Acid a Preservative?
Citric acid is a natural preservative included in a great number of commercially produced foods. You can use it yourself to extend the shelf life of your canned goods as well as grilled of smoked meat.
Use it as a preservative for jerky (1½ oz. per 100 lbs. of meat) or to keep some fresh produce (apples, bananas, etc.) from browning.
Why Is Citric Acid Added to Food?
Unless it’s acting as a preservative, citric acid is mostly added to food as a flavoring. It can help you give a pleasantly tart flavor to a variety of dishes and it fares extremely well in various drinks. Commercially, it’s used in many types of soft drinks to extend their shelf life and make them tart and frizzy.
It’s often included in ice cream, where it acts as an emulsifying agent and prevents fats from separating. You can often find that citric acid powder is included in caramel as it keeps sucrose from crystallizing, thus helping the sweet retain its texture.
How to Use Citric Acid Powder for Cooking
When used as a culinary ingredient, Citric Acid from Food To Live can substitute vinegar or lemon juice in some recipes. It can also help you give the dish a tart flavor, which is a great option for many soups, especially those including beets as they tend to be too sweet.
The acidic power of the substance allows it to be used in some baking recipes where it’ll be a part of the chemical reaction, which helps make the dough fluffy. Granular citric acid is included into a major part of processed foods and is approved by the FDA for this role. It’s usually listed as E330 on the product label.
Note that you can use citric acid as a firming agent in some foods, like jellos.
When cooking with citric acid, you must be careful not to go overboard as the powder’s taste is rather intense. You’ll only need half a teaspoon of organic citric acid to get the same amount of actual acid as you’d get from 2 tablespoons of freshly-squeezed lemon juice.
Some of the best citric acid uses in cooking include:
· Firming agent for canned tomatoes. Use ½ teaspoon per quart. The acid will also act as a preservative and help keep your delicious canned goodness for many months.
· If you eat meat, spray it with a mild citric acid solution (1 ounce per 1 quart water) before cooking. This will not only help from the preservation and flavor point of view. The acid will also help kill any harmful bacteria. It’s the same for fish, and citric acid is essential for enhancing its taste.
· When making a cheese sauce, add a ½ teaspoon of citric acid dissolved in 1-2 spoonfuls of filtered water. It will neutralize casein and help make your sauce more smooth and thick.
· Substitute salt with citric acid in rye and sourdough breads to enhance their taste.
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7 Ideas on How to Use Citric Acid for Cleaning
Citric acid crystals make a great organic helper for housecleaning. The substance is a naturally potent chelating agent, which means that it binds tiny metal particles and makes them soluble. This is what allows it make the water ‘soft’. Your house benefits from this because the chelating effect of citric acid helps prevent the buildup of limescale in boilers, evaporators, and other similar appliances.
Note that making water ‘soft’ with the help of organic citric acid will improve the efficiency of soap and other washing solutions as they will produce more foam in metal-less liquid.
Citric acid can be incorporated into almost every type of cleaning solution. In fact, it’s one of the active ingredients in ‘green’ alternatives to chemical cleansers. Using solutions based on citric acid is safe for people with allergies as well as pregnant women and kids.
Food To Live Citric Acid Powder uses for cleaning:
1. Scrub off stains and adhesives from various surfaces using citric acid crystals as a cleaning powder.
2. Dissolved in water it will make a cleansing solution capable of dissolving grease and killing bacteria, so you can use it to wash dishes, floors, tabletops, etc.
3. Put 2 tablespoons of citric acid powder into the washing powder receptacle of your washing machine and run the longest cycle with the hottest water setting. This will both descale and disinfect the ‘insides’ of the appliance.
4. Dissolve 2 tablespoons of organic citric acid in a liter of warm water and sprinkle onto taps, shower walls and doors, etc. Leave for a few minutes and wipe the surfaces to remove dirt and mineral deposits.
5. Make a ‘lighter’ solution dissolving 2 tablespoons of granular citric acid in 2 liters of water and use the solution to wash windows quickly and efficiently.
6. Remove wine stains from various fabrics making a mix of citric acid and baking soda (1:2). Put the dry mix onto the stain and sprinkle with hot water so that it starts to fizz. Leave for about 5 minutes before scrubbing away with a brush. Repeat is necessary, but be careful as this might cause discoloration of the fabric.
7. Clean your toilet by sprinkling its insides with about ¾ cup of citric acid powder and leaving overnight. Flush and brush it first thing in the morning.
Make a 100% safe household cleaning solution for every task by combining 2 tablespoons of liquid soap, 2 teaspoons of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of citric acid and enough water to fill a 32 oz. spray bottle to the brim. Shake it up to ensure all ingredients dissolve and mix thoroughly. It’ll be best to add the ingredients one by one so that they can dissolve better. Hot water is preferable for citric acid.
Don’t forget, no matter how safe these solutions are you should always use gloves and other protective gear when cleaning.