Citric acid monohydrate

Chemical properties

Citric acid monohydrate appears as colorless or translucent crystals or a white crystalline powder. It is odorless with a strong acidic taste and has an orthorhombic crystal structure. It loses its water of crystallization in dry air or when heated to 40–50°C, softens at 75°C, and melts at around 100°C. It is used as a natural preservative and to add sour taste to foods and soft drinks. It also functions as a preservative, antioxidant, acidulant, flavoring agent, and anti-staling agent in products like fruit drinks, candy, cookies, biscuits, canned fruits, jams, and jellies. It contains 7.5–9.0% moisture, distinguishing it from other citric acid forms.

Description

Citric Acid Monohydrate is a white crystalline powder that functions as a preservative and antioxidant. It serves as an acidulant, flavoring agent, and anti-staling agent in various food products, including fruit drinks, candy, cookies, biscuits, canned fruits, jams, and jellies. It is distinguished from other forms of citric acid by its moisture content, which ranges from 7.5% to 9.0%.

The Uses of Citric acid monohydrate

Citric Acid Monohydrate, a tricarboxylic acid found in citrus fruits, has multiple uses. It serves as an acidulant and food additive, helping to control pH and enhance flavor. In pharmaceutical applications, it acts as an excipient with antioxidant properties, maintaining the stability of active ingredients and serving as a preservative. Additionally, it functions as an anticoagulant by chelating calcium in blood.

What are the applications of Application

Citric acid monohydrate has a wide range of applications. It is used to prepare citrate buffers for intravital microscopy and to unmask antigens and epitopes. It also serves as a pH-control agent in the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries. In animal nutrition, it enhances calcium utilization. Recent applications include its use as a carbon source in carbon nanodot synthesis, in preparing pH-6.0 solutions/buffers for tissue sample preparation, and in solubilization techniques for various samples.

Production Methods

Citric acid naturally occurs in various plant species and can be extracted from sources like lemon juice (containing 5–8% citric acid) or pineapple waste. Industrially, anhydrous citric acid is produced through mycological fermentation of crude sugar solutions, such as molasses, using strains of Aspergillus niger. Purification is achieved through recrystallization: the anhydrous form is obtained from a hot, concentrated aqueous solution, while the monohydrate form is derived from a cold, concentrated solution.