What Are Acidulants in Food?

February 6, 2025

Recently, food with low pH levels like Greek yogurt, Korean kimchi, fruit vinegar, and sour beer has gained much appeal from consumers.

Why Are Acidic Foods So Popular With Consumers?

Sourness, as a taste, unlike many other food flavors, is longer lasting, and it is like an afterburn sensation. And once you’ve got an opportunity to taste it, it’s almost impossible to switch to the ordinary sorts again. Further, sourness gives food a Palatable characteristic, that is a kind of taste saturation, which is a favorite of gourmets and cooks.

How Do Acidulants Work?

Sourness is caused by the cognitive action of hydrogen ions on the taste bud membrane. Thus, any compound which dissociates in solution to produce H+ ions has a sour taste. But, it must be noted that they are not proportional in terms of concentration sourness intensity. Acids have various tastes, and the sour feeling in the mouth is connected with acid radicals, pH number, titratable acidity, and buffer capacity, as well as other materials, in particular sweets.

At the same pH, organic acids have a more significant sour taste, and the most frequently used edible acids possess various sour tastes for the same concentration of acid. Moreover, the sour sensation has several differences depending on whether the sour substance is in a water solution or the food product solid. Sourness is connected with buffering action; the addition of weak acids has a stronger taste than mineral ones at the same pH. Saliva and several food constituents exhibit buffering effects.

The anions of the sour substances that are present in foods determine the food flavor. The taste of most organic acids is a cool sour taste, and the taste of most inorganic acids is bitter or low taste, which will affect the quality of foodstuffs. This is mainly a result of the effect of this anion. Some of the anions of the sour substances give an aftertaste sensation in foods. These two ingredients are used for sweetening and in particular for neutralizing sourness. This underscores the fact that the components of Sweetness and Sourness are very vital in the determination of the fruit beverage flavors.

Acidity regulators in food products act as an important factor that must be able to control the pH level in foods. They complement tastes and prolong the shelf-life of foods being stored.

Types of Food Acidulants

At present, more than 20 sorts of acidulants are used globally with an annual demand increase rate ranging from 3- 5%. Acidulants can be classified into food organic and inorganic acidulants and some related organic and inorganic salts which can also be used as food acidulants. These and many other common acidulants are mostly organic acids including citric acid, malic acid, lactic acid, tartaric acid, and acetic acid which are used in the food industry. Of these, citric acid is the most popular type of acidulant currently occupying 70% of the market share of the total organic acid demand in the food sector. Among inorganic acidulants, phosphoric acid acidulant occupies a dominant position, used commonly in the manufacture of carbonated beverages.

Food acids are majorly water-soluble organic and inorganic acids. Fruits and vegetables and products derived from them include malic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, succinic acid and acetic while in meat and fish products lactic acid prevails. However, there are some inorganic acids some of which include hydrochloric acid and phosphoric acid. These acidic substances may well be a naturally occurring element in foods such as tartaric acid implicated in grapes and malic acid in apples; added as a flavor enhancer like citric acid in formulated beverages; or resulting from the fermentation of other foods such as lactic acid in sour milk.

How to Use Acidulants?

Flavor Enhancers

Acids are agents that improve the taste of food and play a critical role in the overall taste-enhancing process. The majority of organic acids can be described as having strong fruit odors that help to promote hunger, aid in digestion and act as buffers in the regulation of the body’s acid-base equilibrium.

Color Stability

As far as the pH level of food is concerned, the presence of acidic substances assists in the maintenance of food color. In fruit processing, control of the pH of the medium in which the fruit is immersed or placed can effectively check enzymatic browning; boiling of vegetables at a pH level of 6.5-7.2 retains the natural fresh green color of green vegetables.

Preservative Effect

Acidic substances in food also have some preserving factors associated with them. While a food pH below 2.5 restricts the majority of the microorganisms, fats, and molds are the exceptions; a careful regulation of acetic acid content can prevent spoilage bacteria from through to the 6% level.

Common Applications of Acidulants in Food

The food acidulants’ application is a broad area, which includes the beverage and fermentation industries. They not only improve the taste of beverages but also help to preserve them: that is why they are considered important in beverage processing. The products that are being made with the help of fermentation industries make use of acidulants such as lactic acid beverages. Some acidulants have multipurpose uses; for instance, malic acid which has heath-improving characteristics is one of the most popularly used organic acids and the market for its growth potential in the world food industry is promising.

Examples of acids in food can be identified as citric acid in fruits, malic in apples, and lactic acid in spoilage of sour milk. They not only impart flavor but also act as preservatives and agents for the regulation of the pH value.

Acidulant Citric Acid in Food

Citric acid is the most abundant naturally occurring organic acid in fruits and vegetables and the most practiced emulsifying acidulant in the food industry despite being named from its initial extraction from citrus fruits. Citric acid crystallizes in a monohydrate triclinic system, with high solubility in cold and hot water and ethanol, but low solubility in ether. The solubility of the compound in cold water at 20°C is 100% and it has a very sharp taste of vinegar. Citric acid monohydrate, which has a melting point of 10-133°C, forms an efflorescent material when exposed to air for a long duration. Anhydrous citric acid has a melting point of 153 °C and humidity is sold in crystal form because it undergoes hydration at moist air. This compound is more soluble in cold water than in hot water. Citric acid is also widely used as a tart or non-taste in pastry making to sharpen their taste further and also minimize spoilage. In the food industry mainly in the field of food processing, it as an acidulant assists as a sucrose inverting agent a fruit and vegetable color protector, and an antioxidant synergist.

Furthermore, experiments indicate that citric acid can successfully prolong the wheat protein structure and is effective in the acid raw materials to replace hydrochloric acid deamination to broaden the application scope of wheat gluten protein.

Acidulant Malic Acid in Food

Malic acid crystallizes in white needles grouped in rounded formations and is very fusible in air; it is soluble in water and ethanol. Biologically occurring malic acid is of the L-amino acid category and it cannot be found in any other form. Malic acid is more acidic than citric acid pleasantly sour or acid in taste with a slight bitterish background, and remains in the mouth much longer than citric acid. Citrus flavoring, for instance, when teamed with citric acid, sharpens the flavor of sour. Industrial malic acid is then synthesized chemically and is normally applied in concentrations of 0.05-0.5%.

In addition, there are some values of malic acid in the fermentation industry. It is widely used in the secondary fermentation of wine, the related research found that L-malic acid can help to enhance the biomass of gonococci, contributing to the production of high-quality wine.

Acidulant Lactic Acid in Food

As one of the most important members of the family of organic acidulants, lactic acid acidulant enjoys a dominating position in the food market. It can bring an exclusive sort of sharpness to food and it has several tasks among which are the regulation of PH, protection against the spoiling of foods, and increasing their shelf life. Lactic acid is mostly used in the preparation of drinks, acidulated foods, and in the grain industry and some types of condiments.

Lactic acid is approved by the US FDA under GRAS regulations as an outstanding preservative and pickling agent fit for producing soft drinks, candies, and pastries. Moreover, the lactic acid solution promotes meat shelf life and points to many application opportunities of immeasurable importance. As for pH and food adjustment, the US bans the use of inorganic acid such as phosphoric acid while adopting lactic acid as the only permitted one in beer making. It also has a certain value in it, especially in baked food processing.

Acidulant Acetic Acid

Ethanoic acid also referred to as acetic acid is an aromatic-smelling liquid that is colorless and has an irritating effect on the skin. It is flammable and has a boiling point of 118.2°C/ 244.6°F and a freezing point of 16°C / 60.8°F. The concentration of acid which is higher than 98% turns the substance into an ice-like state solid which is why acetic acid in its high concentration is referred to as glacial acetic acid. It emulsifies with water and alcohol miscible substances and is soluble in most of the organic solvents, can cause dermatitis, and is antiseptic. Acidulate acetic acid can be used for the synthesis of vinegar and the preservation and flavoring of foods.

Combined Applications of Food Acidulants

Acidulant mixtures refer to adding two or more different types of acidulants as well as using one or more acidulants along with other food additives. The experiments prove that it is impossible to achieve the desired level of sourness using only one acidulant, which means the use of multiple acidulants as food additives.

Food acidulants can also be used together with other food additives and for this purpose, their application in the food industry is extensive, as it intensifies not only food’s sensory properties but also enhances antimicrobial and preservative effects at the same time. Sweetening agents and acids have an antagonistic relationship; in the preparation of beverages, candies, and other products sweetening agents are usually incorporated with acids to ensure some specific degree of sweet-sour balance to produce better products.

Conclusion

Acidulants in food have several significant uses, which include improving taste, acting as preservative agents, and promoting food’s appearance. Due to their function to control pH, these substances and others also help in achieving the ideal sensory perception. For more in-depth insights on acidifiers and their applications, don’t hesitate to contact Mondstar.