Quite often, in recipes there is a prescription "sprinkle a dish (mainly salads) with lemon juice." Citrus fruits are generously added to pastries. Sour lemon juice makes it less sugary. Citrons are added to both the dough and creams. Use and zest of exotic fruit, and candied pieces of pulp and skin. But most often the ingredient in the dishes is lemon juice. It is added both to soups (for example, hodgepodge), and to drinks - tea, alcoholic and refreshing cocktails. This article focuses on one question: is it possible to replace lemon juice with citric acid? And if so, how to introduce white crystals in the composition of the dish? What are the proportions? What needs to be done to make the dish taste as if it contained natural lemon juice? You will read about it below.
What is citric acid?
What is this white crystalline powder really? Undoubtedly, this is a synthetic material. And before clarifying the question of whether it is possible to replace lemon juice with citric acid, we must establish a connection between the two products. Does citrus fruit have something in common? Citric acid was first extracted by Swedish pharmacist Karl Scheele in 1784. How did he get it? He singled it out from the juice of unripe lemons. As you can see, there is a direct link between these products. The resulting powder is a tribasic carboxylic acid. It perfectly dissolves in water when it reaches at least eighteen degrees. Citric acid also mixes well with ethanol. Therefore, it can be used for the manufacture of home tinctures and vodkas. But the powder does not dissolve well in diethyl ether.
Industrial production of citric acid
Every reasonable person will ask: if the powder is extracted from citrus fruits, then why is it much cheaper than fruit? After all, an eighteenth-century pharmacist was evaporating natural juice to get white crystals. Then they began to add shag biomass to the juice of lemons. This plant also contains a large amount of this acid. In modern times, industrial production receives powder through the biosynthesis of molasses and sugar using strains of the fungus aspergillus niger. Citric acid is used not only in cooking, but also in medicine (including to improve metabolism), cosmetology (as a regulator of acidity), and even the construction and oil industries. The global volume of its production is more than one and a half million tons. And about half of this amount is produced in China. In light of this, the question of whether it is possible to replace lemon juice with citric acid seems even more relevant. Especially if the label says: "Made in China."
The benefits of citric acid
Synthetic powder is widely used in the food industry and is labeled as E330-E333. But is this flavoring quite safe, is it possible to replace lemon juice with citric acid without harm to the body? The powder is used in the food industry, not only to improve the taste of the product. Citric acid prevents the development of microorganisms, the appearance of mold and unpleasant odors. Therefore, E330 is also used as a preservative. Despite the fact that citric acid is no longer extracted from fruits, it, like citrus fruits, improves vision, strengthens the immune system and has a positive effect on the digestive system. Since it speeds up metabolism, it is used in diets to reduce excess weight. This substance removes toxins, waste, harmful salts from the body.
Harm Citric Acid
Not all people can tolerate citrus fruits. These fruits can cause an allergic reaction. Similarly, citric acid is unacceptable to some people. With caution, it should be consumed by patients with gastritis and a stomach ulcer. But we asked ourselves: can citric acid replace lemon juice? It is time to answer him. Yes maybe. But in the case of powder, care must be taken not to make the solution too concentrated. After all, then this can lead to unpleasant sensations in the stomach, to heartburn, colic and vomiting. Do not eat undissolved powder, as it causes a burn of the mucous membranes.
Is it possible to replace lemon juice with citric acid
Subtropical fruits cannot be called cheap. And in most recipes, a dish requires only a couple of drops or a teaspoon of lemon juice. The rest lies in the refrigerator for a long time, dries and withers. Whereas citric acid in a bag can be stored for years. Yes, and it costs mere pennies. Therefore, experienced housewives, when asked whether citric acid replaces lemon juice, usually answer: “Yes! And vinegar too! And you can also wash metal surfaces contaminated with limescale and rust. ”
As for cooking, the range of dishes in which you can use both citrus juice and citric acid is quite wide. If you knead the dough, you can mix a small amount of synthetic powder with flour. In other cases, acid crystals should be dissolved in warm water until a concentration of ordinary lemon juice is reached. The proportions are such. A small pinch (some recipes recommend at the tip of a knife) for fifty milliliters of warm water. The solution should be cooled.