2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14
Quite often in culinary recipes there is an instruction to "sprinkle the dish (mainly salads) with lemon juice." Citrus fruits are generously added to pastries. The sour lemon juice makes it less cloying. Citrons are added both to dough and creams. They use the zest of an exotic fruit, and candied pieces of pulp and skin. But the most common ingredient in dishes is lemon juice. It is added both to soups (for example, hodgepodge) and to drinks - tea, alcoholic and refreshing cocktails. This article is devoted to one question: is it possible to replace lemon juice with citric acid? And if so, how to introduce white crystals into the composition of the dish? What are the proportions? What needs to be done to make the dish taste as if it had natural lemon juice? Read more about it below.
What is citric acid
What is this white crystalline powder really? Undoubtedly, it is a synthetic material. And before clarifying the question of whether lemon juice can be replaced with citric acid, we must establish a connection between these two products. Does synthetic powder have anything in common with citrus fruits? Citric acid was first discovered by the Swedish pharmacist Karl Scheele in 1784. How did he get it? He isolated it from the juice of unripe lemons. As you can see, there is a direct connection between these products. The resulting powder is a tribasic carboxylic acid. It dissolves perfectly in water when it reaches at least eighteen degrees. Citric acid also combines well with ethyl alcohol. Therefore, it can be used to make homemade tinctures and vodkas. But the powder does not dissolve well in diethyl ether.
Industrial production of citric acid
Any reasonable person will ask: if the powder is extracted from citrus fruits, why is it so much cheaper than fruit? After all, an eighteenth-century apothecary evaporated natural juice to get white crystals. Then shag biomass was added to lemon juice. This plant also contains a large amount of this acid. In modern times, industrial production receives powder by biosynthesis from molasses and sugar using strains of the mold fungus Aspergillus niger. Citric acid is usednot only in cooking, but also in medicine (including for improving metabolism), cosmetology (as an acid regulator) and even construction and the oil industry. The world 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 lemon juice can be replaced with citric acid seems even more relevant. Especially if the label says "Maid in China".
Benefits of citric acid
Synthetic powder is widely used in the food industry and is labeled as E330-E333. But is this flavor additive completely 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 the metabolism, it is used in diets to reduce excess weight. This substance removes toxins, toxins, harmful s alts from the body.
Harm of citric acid
Not all people can tolerate citrus fruits. These fruits can cause an allergic reaction. Similarly, citric acid is unacceptable forsome people. With caution, it should be used by patients with gastritis and stomach ulcers. But we wondered: can citric acid replace lemon juice? It's time to answer it. Yes maybe. But in the case of powder, care must be taken not to make the solution too concentrated. After all, then it can lead to discomfort in the stomach, to heartburn, colic and vomiting. Undissolved powder should not be eaten as it burns the mucous membranes.
Is it possible to replace lemon juice with citric acid
Subtropical fruits cannot be called cheap. And in most recipes, the 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 is worth every penny. Therefore, experienced housewives usually answer the question of whether citric acid will replace lemon juice: “Yes! And vinegar too! It can also be used to 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 are kneading dough, you can mix a small amount of synthetic powder with flour. In other cases, acid crystals must be dissolved in warm water until the concentration of ordinary lemon juice is reached. The proportions are. A small pinch (some recipes recommend on the tip of a knife) to fifty milliliters of warm water. The solution should be cooled.
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