Citric acid is a weak organic acid with the chemical formula — C6H8O7. It is one of the most used acids by various industries. Buying citric acid in bulk is something that every industrialist prefers due to excess usage of the acid.
Here are five common uses of citric acid:
As A Food Additive
Citric acid is majorly using as a flavouring agent and preservative for many food items. Most of the industries purchase citric acid in bulk for its excessive use in the food industry. The weak organic acid is basically using in processed edibles as well as beverages like soft drinks. The fact that citric acid is sour in taste also makes it useful for making candies. You might have seen some candies covered with a white powder. That powder is nothing but citric acid. Many ice cream companies also use citric acid as an emulsifier in order to keep away fat globules.
As A Cleansing Agent
Another common usage of citric acid can be seen as a cleansing agent. Citric acid is widely using as a cleaning agent. This is so because citric acid is one of the chelating agents. By making use of citric acid for cleansing purposes, lime scales from evaporators and boilers can be removing. Citric acid is also using in soaps and detergents due to its quality of softening water. Not just soaps and detergents, but household cleaners that are used in the kitchen and bathrooms are also a kind of citric acid product. Citric acid is not only used as a cleanser but also as a deodorizer.
As an Environmental Remediation
The excellent metal chelating properties of citric acid are helpful in cleaning industrial sites. These industrial sites majorly include nuclear sites that are polluted with radionuclides, and soil polluted with heavy metals. Citric acid is known for not just removing metals from the soil but also enhancing the soil desorption of hydrophobic organic compounds from soil. It also removes the mixed contaminants from soils. Using organic citric acid is helpful in many ways. The ecological restoration of soil after its remediation is highly supported by citric acid.
As water softener
Another reason why industries buy citric acid in bulk is that it is majorly used as a water softener. Most of the detergents have citric acid in them due to their chelating and buffering properties. The chemical properties of organic citric acid make it a weak acid which is why it acts as a great water softener. It is usually operated by breaking down the trace quantities of metal discovering in water which further make it an optimal all-natural option for hard water treatment.
In industries
Last but not least, citric acid is also using in various industries. As mentioned above powdered as well as liquid citric acid food grade is something that requires bulk purchase also in cosmetics industries, pharmaceutical industries, polymer industries etc the need for citric acid is more than one can imagine. The other industrial uses of citric acid include detergent manufacturing, electroplating and leather tanning. Liquid citric acid is also using as a preservative for stored blood, and as a buffer and antioxidant in pharma industries.
Organic citric acid is producing by the fermentation of Aspergillus species. The acid is said to possess sweet and sour sensory notes which is why it is highly preferre in food grades. In case you are in need of organic citric acid for industrial or other purposes, always prefer buying it in bulk for quality and affordability purposes.