E330 - Citric Acid
Written by Chris Andrews on January 22nd, 2006 in Antioxidants and acidity regulators, Preservatives.
Citric Acid (E330) isn’t often labled as an e-number on food labels, it is usually simply put as “Citric Acid”. It is an acid which occurs naturally in fruits such as lemons and limes. The additive found in today’s food, however, is manufactured from cultures of the mold Aspergillus niger. The mold is fed sucrose to then produce citric acid.
It is used most commonly as a preservative and acidity regular in soft drinks, yoghurts, fruit juices, cheese, margarine and salad dressings. It is chosen often over other preservatives for it’s distinctive flavour.
In the quantities used in food I can find no evidence that Citric Adic can be bad for you. However in it’s raw ingredient state it can cause skin and eye irritation. In pharmacutical doses symptoms could include chest pain, difficulty breathing, heart palpitations, diarrhea and vomiting - but again, you’re not going to reach these levels in your food.
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