Acids in the food industry are used to preserve and give confectionery products, drinks and canned goods a pleasant sour taste. All organic acids approved for food production are safe for health.
General characteristics and properties
Food acids are a fairly broad concept that combines substances of an inorganic and organic nature. All of them have different properties and are used in the food industry as additives that regulate certain qualities of the products.
The following acids are considered to be food:
- Ascorbic.
- Acetic.
- Wine.
- Fumar.
- Gluconova.
- Apple.
- Lemon.
- Sorrel.
- Dairy.
- Formic.
- Phosphoric.
Most of them are obtained by processing various plant materials. In fruits and berries, acids can be contained not only in pure form, but also in the form of soluble salts.
However, if food acids in themselves do not harm the body, then various impurities contained in them can seriously harm. Therefore, there are strict requirements that limit the amount of salts of heavy metals, free hydrochloric and sulfuric acids, as well as arsenic in the organic acid.
Lemon acid
Citric acid is one of the most common additives in the food industry. This is a rather weak acid, originally obtained by processing unripe lemons and stalks of shag. Currently, they have learned to synthesize it from sucrose.
The industrial name is E 330. Due to its pronounced antioxidant properties, the additive is widely used in food production.
Citric acid is used as a preservative for the production of processed cheeses, in combination with soda as a baking powder in the manufacture of confectionery products, as a flavor enhancer in the wine and vodka industry and in soft drinks, as a color fixer in sausage production.
If handled carelessly, this food-grade acid can cause burns to the mucous membranes, skin, or respiratory tract.
Acetic acid
The second most popular acid used in industry and household is acetic acid. This is one of the substances known to man since antiquity, most likely, was discovered quite by accident in sour wine.
This food-grade acid is obtained as a result of a fermentation reaction in wines, juices, and also aqueous solutions of alcohols. In the food industry, acetic acid has an index of E 260 and is used for the preparation of marinades and preservation. It has also been shown to be an effective anti-scale and limescale agent.
Acetic acid comes in different concentrations. The most common types are 80% essence and 3–9% table vinegar.
Oxalic acid
Harmless, judging by the name, oxalic acid is actually a toxic substance used in metallurgy, chemical and wood processing industries, household chemicals and cosmetology.
In its natural form, it is found in plants such as sorrel, spinach, carambola and rhubarb. However, for industrial needs, it is obtained by the oxidation of carbohydrates, glycols and alcohols.
The use of oxalic acid is quite widespread. It can be used to cleanse various metals from corrosion, is part of powders and detergents, and is used in the manufacture of plastics and pyrotechnics. In cosmetology, it is an integral part of whitening mixtures, for example, to remove freckles.
Oxalic acid is a toxic, combustible substance. When working with it, rubber protection is needed - boots, gloves, glasses, rubberized aprons and respirators.
Tartaric acid
Tartaric or tartaric acid - a substance found in fruits and berries. Especially a lot of it is present in grapes, cherries, cherries, lingonberries, currants, pomegranates and quinces. For industrial needs, tartaric acid, called E 334, is produced by adding hydrogen peroxide to malic anhydride. There is a second method - the enzymatic effect on succinic acid.
Tartaric acid is a safe supplement for humans. It has high antioxidant properties, which makes it relevant for the manufacture of long-term food products, for example, juices, jellies, jams, jams, soft drinks.
Apple acid
Malic (hydroxy succinic) acid or food supplement E 296. This substance is obtained by fermenting freshly squeezed juice of various berry-fruit crops. Unripe apples, raspberries, grapes, oranges, barberries, lemon and mountain ash are especially rich in it.
The use of malic acid helps to improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, accelerate metabolism, heal wounds, and relieve fatigue. Despite the fact that the upper limit of the intake of hydroxy succinic acid has not been established, doctors and nutritionists do not recommend eating more than 3-4 apples per day.
Due to its antioxidant properties, the additive E 296 is widely used in the food industry, medicine, pharmacology and cosmetology. As a preservative, it is used in the manufacture of marmalade, marshmallows, jellies, in milk fruit drinks.
Orthophosphoric acid
Phosphoric acid is an inorganic product obtained by the chemical reaction between phosphates and sulfuric acid. It is used in metallurgy, dentistry and agriculture.
This compound has pronounced antioxidant properties and therefore is often used in the food industry under the name E 338. In carbonated drinks, in particular, in Coca-Cola, phosphoric acid serves as an acidity regulator.
Lactic acid
Lactic acid or preservative additive E 270 is obtained using lactic acid fermentation. It is formed by gram-positive microaerophilic or anaerobic lactobacilli from milk sugar.
In the food industry, lactic acid is used in the production of yogurts, cheeses, kefir, mayonnaise and some other dairy products. It has low acidity, and this makes it possible to use it in the meat processing, oil mill and canning industry.
In the human body, lactic acid is formed during the breakdown of glucose during increased stress and causes muscle pain.
Formic acid
In nature, formic acid is found in needles, nettles, and secretions of ants, bees, and some other insects. It was first discovered and described in 1671. Food acid production was only begun 200 years later, when the Frenchman Marseille Bertello managed to synthesize it from carbon monoxide.
Today, formic acid, known in the food industry as additive E 236, is used in the production of canned vegetables, soft drinks, juices and mashed potatoes.