Citric acid is a naturally occurring acid. It is found in various vegetables and fruits like tomato, oranges, and lemon, which have the highest amount of Citric acid. It is basically used in many consumer goods, in the food and beverage sectors. You need to be very certain about buying yourself citric acid and one of the best places where to buy citric acid in Australia is here. Let us now see the uses of different forms of citric acid:

• Health benefits:

Powdered citric acid is what we commonly use in our households. It helps in improving kidney health, throat infection, and getting rid of acne. You can visit sites like www.thekidneydocs.com to know more about kidney health.

• Food additive:

Citric acid is used as a flavoring agent and preservative, and in food products like beverages, soft drinks, and candies mainly for its sour taste. We sometimes find a white covering on some of our candies, it shows the coating of citric acid powder. Some ice cream companies use it as an emulsifier, in order to keep fat globules away.

• Cleaning agent:

It is used in soaps and detergents as it helps in softening the hard water. Even the household cleaners in the kitchen contain some amount of citric acid that helps in breaking the fat molecules and removes grease.

• Cosmetic uses:

It is used as face masks for skincare products since it helps in the removal of dead skin. It also helps in removing acne scars and wrinkles. Citric acid is the most commonly used agent in skin cosmetics such as Luna by Lisa airbrush as it helps in balancing the pH levels. It is found in hand soap, body wash, nail polish face cleansers, and shampoos too.

• Softening agent:

As mentioned earlier, due to its buffering properties, citric acid is also used as a water softener in detergents.

• Industrial uses:

Some of the industrial uses of citric acid may include detergent manufacturing, electroplating, and leather tanning. It might sound weird since we have never thought of such uses of the common ingredient we use at our homes, but citric acid is also used as a preservative for stored blood and a buffer and antioxidant, mainly in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.

Let us see some of the facts about citric acid that we might not even know about:

• Side effects of citric acid:

Serious side effects of citric acid may include muscle twitching or cramping, swelling or weight gain, fatigue, mood changes, swift and fast breathing, rapid heart rate, anxious feeling, black or bloody stools, extreme diarrhea, or seizure.

• Disinfectant:

Citric acid may also be used as a disinfectant as it kills bacteria and mold.

• Rust:

It might also be helpful in removing rust, which could be very helpful whenever we are cleaning our houses, gardens, gardening tools, or vehicles.

• Consumption:

Eating foods, vegetables, and fruits that are naturally rich in Citric acid (from, say, lemon or lime juice) is very beneficial for our bodies and health. It acts as an antioxidant, ie, it protects the body from damaging free radicals. Also, eating huge quantities of food rich in antioxidants helps in cancer prevention.