Citric Acid is widely used in the food industry as an additive and is declared safe to consume by all major government food regulatory bodies. Our bodies produce it in big amounts that is why is assumed not to damage our body when we consume it in food. But what they add to the food we eat is not pressed lemon juice is processed and synthetic citric acid .
Citric acid, it’s a food additive used commonly in soft drinks, candies, marmalades, sauces, even in gummy bears.
Besides its use as an additive, the citric acid is also commonly used as a natural food preservative. By increasing acidity, the low pH conditions produced prevent bacterial and fungal growth, therefore prolonging the life of the food or drink. It also helps preserve flavor and maintains pH at a suitable level to prevent food degradation, especially canned food.
Possible Side Effects
Reading in the net we find out that "while it is generally safe, side effects do occur if an excess of the acid is used or consumed". Some of these side effects include stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. The acid is also believed to erode the tooth enamel when consumed frequently, which leads to an increased susceptibility of tooth decay, infections and other various complications.
Professor Adrian Lussi of the Swiss Dental Clinic in Bern notes that caries (tooth decay) is declining while erosion of tooth enamel is on the rise. In a study at the University of Bristol, UK, the increasing incidence of enamel erosion was causally connected to the high amounts of citric acid added to drinks and food.
Generally citric acid is considered a harmless food additive, a colourless, translucent, crystalline powder that smells like lemon. According to food regulating agencies in all countries, it can be added to food without restrictions.
Naturally, citric acid appears in lemon, limes and many other sour-tasting fruit. Have you ever watched the face of a baby when it sucks on a lemon slice for the first time? they do faces but they do it over and over, not getting enough of it. The food industry makes full use of our cravings for that crisp and tangy taste and adds it en-masse to fruit drinks, spaghetti sauce, baby food, iced tea and everything else that needs a flavor improvement.
Of course the industry doesn’t press lemon juice; it creates this stuff artificially.
Every year worldwide more than 600,000 tons of crystalline citric acid are produced, while the entire harvest of lemons and limes is only 120,000 tons. The official chemical name of citric acid is 2-Hydroxy-1,2,3-propane-tri-carboxylic acid. The reason this artificially-produced citric acid is called “natural” or an “organic acid” is that it has three carbon bonds in its formula and is therefore water-soluble. If an acid has no carbon bond it can’t be called organic.
The interesting thing is that citric acid is produced in our bodies in huge amounts (two kilograms daily, in fact) but is also quickly metabolized. Therefore, it is assumed that any amount can be added to our food without causing harm.
Apparently this is not the case, as dentists have already found out in observing tooth erosion in children and teenagers.
Generally, parents are not aware of the damage citric acid can do. The entire digestive system can be irritated, causing heartburn and damage to the mucous membrane of the stomach. Also the eyes, the respiratory organs and the skin can suffer with scratchy sensations from over-consumption of citric acid.
So far you will not find any cautionary statements on the labels but do you want to give your kids food containing this "safe" preservative?
No wonder food allergy sufferers are increasing, what we eat is damaging our bodies.
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