E330 effect on the human body. What is E330 or citric acid: is the additive dangerous or not, what harm can it do to the body? In the food industry

Almost every housewife in the house has citric acid, which is indispensable in cooking. For about a century, it has also been used for industrial purposes in the production of a wide variety of products. True, in the past few decades, this nutritional supplement is indicated on the packaging as E330 - a substance responsible for stabilizing products and maintaining the required level of acidity. It would seem that citric acid is completely harmless to the human body, but this is not at all the case. In large volumes, E 330 can become a serious source of health problems even in perfectly healthy people.

What are the benefits of citric acid?

Initially, this white substance, odorless, but with a characteristic sour taste, was extracted from various fruits. Citrus fruits and, first of all, lemons were considered the leader in the content of "lemon". However, if at home the required amount of such a preservative and stabilizer can be obtained from the juice of this fruit, then for the industrial production of E330 this option is considered quite expensive. It is for this reason that in the middle of the last century, the technology of synthesizing citric acid from chemicals was mastered in many countries of the world, which served as a powerful impetus for the development of the canning food industry.

Citric acid is an excellent preservative, since most of the microbes known to mankind do not survive in an acidic environment. In addition, E330 belongs to the category of the most powerful antioxidants, thanks to which you can keep the freshness of almost any product. Separately, it is worth mentioning the stabilizing qualities of "lemon", which perfectly regulates the taste of any food, whether it be lightly salted cucumbers or fruit jelly.

Scope of E330

Initially, citric acid was used in the food industry and, first of all, in the confectionery industry. Sweets and pastries, desserts and creams - all these delicacies still include E330 to this day. Plus, the vast majority of carbonated drinks today contain E330. After the antioxidant properties of citric acid were discovered, it became an invariable component in the production of cosmetics. The anti-aging effect of E330 is widely used in creams and masks, shampoos and sprays. The antibacterial properties of citric acid have been appreciated by manufacturers of deodorants and aftershave lotions, which now provide very long-term protection of the skin from germs and have disinfectant qualities.

"Lemon" has the ability to dissolve calcium. It is for this reason that it is part of all kinds of cleaning and detergents that we all use in everyday life. With their help, you can easily remove scale and white deposits from various surfaces without much mechanical effort. The same property of E330 has found wide application in the petrochemical and gas industry.

Why is citric acid so dangerous?

It has been proven that in small doses, the E330 stabilizer has a very positive effect on the human body, as it has anti-aging and antibacterial properties. However high concentration of E330 in cosmetics can cause chemical burns epidermis and respiratory mucosa. In addition, upon contact with tooth enamel, due to the neutralization of calcium, citric acid contributes to its destruction. Foods containing E330 are not recommended for people suffering from gastrointestinal diseases, since citric acid can only aggravate the problem. Moreover, a large concentration of this substance in drinks or food can lead to burns of the esophagus.

Name: Citric acid E330
Other names: E330, E-330, Eng: E330, E-330, Citric Acid
Group: Food supplement
Kind: Antioxidants, antioxidants
Effect on the body: useful
Allowed in countries: Russia, Ukraine, EU

Application:
Citric acid plays the role of an acidity regulator, preservative and flavor additive at the same time. It has carved a niche in food, cosmetics, chemical detergents and cleaners, and medicine. Drinks, juices, sweets, pastries, confectionery, all contain E 330.
Doctors use citric acid to improve metabolic processes and energy metabolism.
Unthinkable without the addition of E-330 and cosmetology. Citric acid is an indispensable component of creams, varnishes and hair gels, foams, shampoos, lotions, bath foams. She is assigned the role of an acidity regulator.
Oilmen use citric acid in the process of drilling both gas and oil wells. The additive neutralizes the cement in the solution and removes calcium ions from the drilling fluid.
Citric acid is approved for use in all countries.

Effect on the human body:
In small doses, citric acid E330 has a positive effect on the human body and is present in vital metabolic metabolic processes.
But there is also a danger to health, with large doses of E330. For example, citric acid concentrate in contact with the skin or eyes leads to a severe chemical burn, or even loss of vision. If a person consumes too much E330 with food, then the enamel of the teeth suffers, there is a threat of developing caries. In the event that too much acid enters the body at one time, then, as a result of this, coughing, vomiting with blood and a burn of the esophagus and stomach may develop. If the additive enters the respiratory tract, their strong irritation is observed.

Citric acid is a food additive with an index of E331, a representative of the group of antioxidants. The substance is a white, water-soluble powder with a pronounced sour taste.

The substance was first obtained in 1784 from lemon juice, after which its industrial production began from lemons and chewing tobacco (shag). Rose hips, sweet red peppers, cranberries, and citrus fruits are also natural sources of citric acid.

However, today this food supplement is produced chemically by synthesizing sugary substances with mold strains Aspergillus niger, or by fermenting molasses. The resulting substance is crystallized and dried.

The use of citric acid food

Food additive E330 is widely used in the production of food and household chemicals, in pharmacology and cosmetology. The substance is simultaneously an antioxidant, acidity regulator, preservative and color stabilizer.

Citric acid is found in the following products:

• meat and fish products;
• canned and frozen vegetables and fruits;
• oils, fats;
• confectionery;
• bakery products;
• non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks.

Food additive E330 improves the quality of flour, is part of baking powder, protects vegetables and fruits from rapid decay. It also acts as a color fixative, flavor enhancer and acidity regulator.

In cosmetology, citric acid is used as an antioxidant and pH regulator. Additive E330 is included in shaving products, creams, rejuvenating masks, cosmetic lotions, helps to fight against oily skin, fine wrinkles. In the household, the substance is used as a cleaning and disinfectant.

The benefits and harms of citric acid for the human body

Food additive E330 is recognized as safe for health and approved for use in all countries. This substance is present in the human body as a breakdown product of fats. Citric acid is involved in the metabolic process, provides the body with energy, improves immunity, is necessary for normal cell renewal and the removal of toxins.

Only large doses of citric acid cause harm to the body. High concentrations of citric acid E330 cause tooth decay, neutralizing calcium, provoke allergic reactions when it comes into contact with the skin. Eating citric acid is not recommended for people suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

Citric acid (E-330) or Lemon acid- natural or synthetic antioxidant. It is found in many fruits: citrus fruits, cranberries, pomegranates, pineapples. The taste is purely sour, not astringent. Participates in the metabolism in the body.

Shows properties common to all carboxylic acids. Salts and esters of citric acid are called citrates. When heated above -175 °C, it decomposes into carbon dioxide and water.

Lemon acid registered as a food supplement with code E-330

Obtaining citric acid E-330

Citric acid was previously obtained from lemon juice and shag biomass. Currently, the main way of industrial production is biosynthesis from sugar or sugary substances (molasses) by industrial strains of the mold fungus Aspergillus niger, or by fermentation of sweet sugar production waste - molasses.

In addition, citric acid is isolated from plant materials - lemon, shag leaves, pineapple waste.

Impact on the body

Harmless. Participates in metabolism (metabolism). There is an individual intolerance to citric acid

Application

Lemon acid (E-330) is widely used as a flavoring agent in food products. Available in almost all fruit and vegetable juices, confectionery, juice drinks.

Lemon acid is part of many cosmetic preparations: elixirs, lotions, creams, shampoos, hair fixatives, etc. Here it is mainly used as a pH regulator (acidity regulator).

In the oil and fat industry, citric acid protects products from the decomposing effect of traces of heavy metals in them, by forming complex compounds with them. In this way, the likelihood of rancidity of fats, margarines and animal oils is significantly reduced.

• international title Citric Acid Monohydrate
• Formula C6H8O7 H2O / HOOC-CH2C(OH)(COOH)CH2-COOH H2O
• Molecular weight 210.14
• GOST 3652-69
• CAS 5949-29-1
• EINECS 201-069-1
• RTECS GE-7810000
• TNVED code (Unified Commodity Nomenclature for Foreign Economic Activity of the Eurasian Economic Union): 2918140000
• GNG code (Harmonized nomenclature of goods): 29181400
• Code ETSNG (Unified Tariff and Statistical Nomenclature of Cargoes): 51600
• British Pharmacopoeia BP 93
• USP 23

How many goodies are on the shelves of supermarkets! And what a gorgeous view of pastries, delicious marmalade, fragrant jams, chocolates, etc.! True, only a few products on the modern market are made without the addition of well-known food additives: E330, E200, E600, etc., each of which has a special effect on the human body.

Food additive E330: main properties

So, E330 or citric acid is used in food production to regulate the level of acidity, to replace salt. In addition, thanks to it, the color of the product is fixed, because of the appetizing nature of which many people take this or that product. Moreover, it helps to stabilize the taste of sausages, ham, etc. But its properties do not end there. E330 is actively used as a substance, which protects any product from the negative effects of heavy metal particles decomposing in them.

Application of E330, citric acid:

• children food;
• chocolate products;
• canned and fruits;
• peeled frozen vegetables;
• semi-finished products;
• soft wheat pasta;
• jam;
• marmalade.

The effect of E330 on the human body: positive aspects

Due to the fact that citric acid has valuable antioxidant and bactericidal properties, it has a beneficial effect on the cellular respiration of the body. In addition, it participates in the renewal of each cell, which has a positive effect on the appearance of the skin: the number of hated wrinkles is noticeably reduced, thereby increasing the elasticity of the dermis.

Moreover, E330 removes slags and toxins so harmful to the body through the pores.

An important advantage of this supplement is its active participation in all metabolic processes. This suggests that it gives the body part of the energy necessary for normal life.

Harm E330

Everything has a dark side. This also applies to the dietary supplement citric acid. If you do not know the golden mean in its use, E330 can play the role of a toxin, worsen the absorption of beneficial trace elements.

It is important to remember that the daily dose of this substance is from 60 to 115 mg per kg of body weight. The harm of the food additive E33 is that if it is exceeded, you can not only “acquire”, but also provoke irritation of the gastric mucosa, which can lead to not only terrible pain, but also bloody vomiting.