Acidulants

By- Ms. Krupa Shah

Introduction

Acidulant are acids that either occur naturally in fruits and vegetables or
are used as additives in beverage formulation. Mainly, citric
acid, adipic acid, fumaric acid, tartaric acid, phosphoric acid, lactic acid
malic acid and acetic acid are used to play different roles in different
beverages.
Acidulants functions includes:
Provide sourness to product
� Enhance palatability by balancing the sugar to acid ratio
� Enhance flavours
� Act as thirst quenching by increasing flow of saliva
� Act as buffer to control acidity level
� Act as a mild preservative by regulating pH
Citric acid

Citric acid is the most versatile and widely used food acidulant. It is useful
characteristics include excellent solubility, extremely low toxicity, chelating
ability and pleasantly sour taste.
FDA classifies citric acid and its sodium and potassium salts as GRAS food
additives when used in accordance with the good manufacturing
practices.
Citric acid is produced commercially by mold fermentation of sugar
solutions (most commonly, dextrose and beet molasses) using strains
of Aspergillus niger.
Beverages are the major food use for citric acid, accounting for an
estimated 65% of citric acids total food acidulant consumption.
Citric acid and its sodium salt are used extensively in carbonated
beverages as a buffer to regulate tartness if the acid level is high. It is also
used as flavor enhancers and preservative.
Malic acid

Malic acid is prepared by hydrolyzing maleic anhydride to malic acid and,

at elevated temperature and pressures, forming an equilibrium mixture
of malic acid, fumaric acid, and malic acid.
Malic acid is used in a variety of products, but mostly in fruit-flavoured sodas
such as those with apple and berry flavor.
Malic acid is preferred acidulant in low-calorie drinks, and in cider and
apple drinks, it enhances flavor and stabilizes the color of carbonated and
noncarbonated fruit flavoured drinks and cream sodas.
In sugar-free drinks, malic acid masks the off-taste produced by sugar
substitutes.
Tartaric acid

Tartaric acid has a strong, tart taste and augments natural and synthetic
fruit flavours, especially grape and cranberry.
It is utilized in fruit juices and drinks. High prices and limited availability inhibit
tartaric acid from widespread use as a food acidulant.
Phosphoric acid
Phosphoric acid and its salts account for 25% of all the acids used in the
food industries.
Phosphoric acid has a characteristic flavor and tartness and is used almost
entirely in cola flavored carbonated beverages.
A small quantity is also used in some root beer brands. It is least costly of all
the food-grade acidulant; it is also the strongest, giving the lowest
attainable pH.
Nutritive additives

Vitamins
Beverages are enriched with vitamins to adjust for processing losses or to
increase the nutritive value. Such enrichment is essential for fruit juices
canned vegetables, and other beverages.
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is the most commercially important vitamin used
as a food additive in terms of volume.
The most important applications for vitamin C include fruit juices, fruit
flavoured drinks, juice-added sodas, and dry cocktail or beverages powder
mixes.
As an antioxidant, this vitamin is frequently added to fruit juice to preserve
and protect against color change of fruit ingredients.
Minerals
Beverages are usually an abundant source of minerals as they contain
fruits, but due to dilution the relative intake of minerals is quite less.
Normally the electrolytes i.e. sodium, potassium and chlorides are added in
energy drinks and other soft drinks.
Nowadays, beverages are also considered an important vehicle for
mineral fortification.
The minerals normally used for fortification are calcium, iron, zinc and
magnesium.
Preservatives
A chemical preservative may be defined as any additive substance that
tends to prevent or retard deterioration when added to foods.
It may prevent or retard changes in odour, flavor, nutritive value, or
appearance.
They inhibit the contamination of foods by microorganisms such as yeasts,
bacteria, molds or fungi.
The principal mechanisms are reduced water availability and increased
acidity. Only sorbates, benzoates, propionates and sulfites are used broadly
in fruit processing.
The principal mechanisms are reduced water availability, change in
redox-potential and increased acidity.
Many of these preservatives target microbial membranes and affect the
permeability of it, thus the viability of microbe.
Preservatives may be classified as Class I & Class II preservatives.
Class I preservative includes additives from natural sources which also
exhibit preservative effects in foods.
Example of Class I preservatives are salt, sugar, vinegar, spices, honey,
edible oils etc. Class II preservatives are chemically derived compounds.
Only sorbates, benzoates, propionates and sulfites are used broadly in fruit
processing.
I n case of Class I preservatives level of addition is regulated by Good
Manufacturing Practices (GMP), while in Class II preservatives it is fixed by
regulatory agencies on the basis of safety and toxicity evaluation.
Benzoic acid

Benzoic acid and sodium benzoate is permitted to the maximum level of 0.1%.
Benzoic acid and its sodium salt are most suitable for preserving foods and
beverages that naturally are in a pH range 2.5 � 4.0. The narrow pH of its activity
limits wider application of this preservative in foods.
Benzoic acid and sodium benzoate are used to preserve carbonated @
0.03-0.05% and non-carbonated beverages @ 0.1%, fruit pulps and juices, jams
and jellies, salad dressings, sauces and ketchups.
Sodium benzoate is more effective against yeasts and bacteria than molds.
The antimicrobial activity varies with foods, its pH and water activity and with
types and species of microorganisms.
Pathogenic bacteria may be inhibited by concentrations of 0.01-
0.02% undissociated benzoic acid.
As an antimicrobial agent, benzoate acts synergistically with sodium chloride,
sucrose, heat, carbon dioxide, and sulphur dioxide.
Sorbic acid

Sorbic acid is widely used food preservatives in the world.

Sorbates exhibit inhibitory activity against a wide spectrum of
yeasts, molds and bacteria including most food borne pathogens.
They can be used to suppress yeasts during lactic fermentation.
The inhibitory activity of sorbates is attributed to the undissociated acid
molecule and hence is pH dependent.
The upper limit for its activity is at about pH 6.5 in most applications, and
the activity increases with decreasing pH.
Potassium sorbate is used where high solubility is desired. Sorbates are
frequently used in dried fruits, fruit salads, carbonated and noncarbonated
beverages.
Usage rates of sorbates in fruits are low, being 0.025-0.075% in fruit drinks
and 0.1% in beverage syrups.
Salts of sulphite, bisulphite and
metabisulphite
Salts of sulphite, bisulphite and metabisulphite is decomposed by weak
acids such as citric, tartaric, malic and carbolic acids to form potassium salt
and sulphur dioxide, which is liberated from potassium sulphurous acid with
water, when added to the fruit juice or squash.
Free sulphurous acid is more effective (120 times) than combined
sulphurous acid.
The undissociated sulphurous acid molecule prevents the multiplication of
yeasts, while the sulphurous acid ion inhibits the growth of bacteria.
Glucose, aldehydes, ketones, pectin and breakdown products of pectin,
etc., which are found in fruit juices, combines with sulphur dioxide reducing
the effectiveness of sulphur dioxide.
Being more effective against molds than yeasts, sulphur dioxide has found
wide use in the fermentation industries.
It cannot be used in the case of some of the naturally coloured juices
like phalsa, jamun, pomegranate, strawberry pulp, etc.
on account of its bleaching action on anthocyanin. It cannot also be used
in products, which are to be packed in tin container, because it not only
acts on tin container causing pinholes, but also forms hydrogen sulphide,
which has an unpleasant smell and also forms a black compound with the
iron on the base plate of the tin container.