Citric Acid in a Squeeze Bottle

Citric Acid in a Squeeze Bottle

Citric Acid is an organic acid found in citrus fruits and other natural foods. Because it prevents bacterial growth, it is a good natural preservative. Citric Acid is also used to add an acidic or sour taste to foods.

History

Citric acid is a mild acid used as an acidulant in foods. An acidulant is used to lower or balance the pH of foods and, as mentioned, to impart a sour or tart taste. Citric acid can also help to balance the pH in the body. For example, when you are tired, your urine tends to be acidic. If you have a pH test paper handy you can prove this for yourself. After ingesting citric acid, the urine will return to its weakly alkaline state and within a few hours the tired feeling will be gone.
You may wonder how an acidic substance can turn urine alkaline. In order to understand how citric acid works, we must refer to the work of Dr. Hans Adolph Krebs, who received the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1953 for his work with digestive enzymes. Digestion involves the breaking down of starch into glucose and fat into glycerin, fatty acids and protein. When we expend energy, we “burn off” or “use up” the food we take into our bodies.

“Burning off” means producing a molecule called ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) with heat as a by-product. Dr. Krebs’ work explained the process of ATP production in detail.

According to Dr. Krebs, most of our food intake eventually becomes Citric Acid, which in turn produces cis-aconitic acid, then iso-Vinegar, then a-keto-glutaric acid. As this chain of biochemical reaction proceeds, the actual quantity of acids decreases along the chain. This decreased amount goes to the production of ATP, carbon dioxide and water. This is known as the “Krebs Cycle”.

Citric Acid

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