citric acid
Additives & Leavening
Trigger checker for citric acid
See citric acid rated across every trigger — FODMAP, histamine, salicylate, oxalate, tyramine and more — plus diet compatibility, all in one quick ingredient profile.
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Serving size, prep, and portion notes for citric acid
The single most useful fact about citric acid is that it does not come from citrus. Essentially all of the commercial supply is grown, not squeezed: a black mould called Aspergillus niger is fermented on a sugar feedstock, usually corn-derived glucose syrup and sometimes molasses or cassava, and the acid is precipitated out and purified. That matters in two directions. Anyone avoiding corn cannot treat citric acid as automatically corn-free, and the people who report reacting to manufactured citric acid while eating lemons and limes without trouble at least have a plausible reason to tell the two apart. On the chemistry we grade, citric acid is clean: A on histamine, A on histamine liberation, A on tyramine, sulfites, gluten, dairy protein, nickel, free glutamate and nightshade. It is also in almost every sour sweet and soft drink there is, which makes it one of the most heavily confounded suspects a food journal can throw up.
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Not a citrus product. Industrial citric acid is a fermentation product of Aspergillus niger grown on a sugar substrate, most often corn glucose syrup, so it is a hidden corn exposure for anyone eliminating corn and a mould-derived ingredient for anyone tracking that / It appears as E330 on European labels, and its salts (sodium citrate, potassium citrate, calcium citrate) are made from the same acid by the same route. If you are avoiding it for feedstock reasons, the citrates count too / The products that carry the most of it are sour sweets, gummies, energy and soft drinks, flavoured water and sports drinks, which also carry colours, intense sweeteners, preservatives and caffeine. A reaction logged against citric acid is very often a reaction to the product it came in / There is a direct contact side that has nothing to do with intolerance: strongly acidic sweets and drinks erode tooth enamel and can leave the lips, tongue and mouth raw or ulcerated. That is chemical irritation at the surface, not a systemic response / Published reports of intolerance to manufactured citric acid specifically exist, but they are a handful of case descriptions rather than an established condition. Treat it as a hypothesis to test in your own log, not a diagnosis
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FAQ
What does the FODMAP rating mean for citric acid?
No FODMAP rating yet: start small and log how you feel.
Is citric acid generally well tolerated?
Histamine (Safe) and Histamine Liberators (Safe) Start with those if you react.
What should I check next?
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