Today, sodium citrate is widely used as a food and beverage additive in the food industry, as an acidulant or flavoring agent and preservative, preservative, buffer and chelating agent in the flavor industry, as an antioxidant, plasticizer and detergent in the pharmaceutical industry, and as an anticoagulant in moderate amounts.
In food additives, it is mainly used in carbonated beverages, juice drinks, lactic acid drinks and other refreshing beverages and pickled products, and its demand varies with the season and climate. Citric acid accounts for about 2/3 of the total acid making agents. adding citric acid to canned fruit can maintain or improve the flavor of the fruit, improve the acidity (lower pH) when canning some low acidity fruits, weaken the heat resistance of microorganisms and inhibit their growth, and prevent bacterial swelling and destruction. This usually occurs in low-acid canned fruits. Citric acid is added to candies as an acidulant to easily harmonize with the flavor of the fruit. The use of citric acid in jelly foods such as jams and jellies is effective in reducing the negative charge of the pectin, causing hydrogen bonds to form between the pectin molecules and forming a gel. In the processing of canned vegetables, some vegetables are alkaline, and using citric acid as a pH regulator not only can play a role in flavoring, but also can maintain their quality. Citric acid has the characteristics of chelation and pH adjustment, so it can improve the antioxidant property, inhibit the enzyme activity and prolong the shelf life of food in frozen food processing.