E330 — Citric acid
Also labelled: Citronensäure · Zitronensäure
Citric acid is the additive people most often flag as suspicious and the one with the least behind that suspicion. It is a normal metabolite of human cells. Frela rates it as no known risk — with one genuine caveat about teeth.
At a glance
- E number
- E330
- Class
- Acidity regulator, antioxidant
- Origin
- Industrial fermentation with the mould Aspergillus niger — not from lemons
- EU status
- Authorised, quantum satis
- Acceptable daily intake
- Not specified
- Typically found in
- Almost everything acidic: soft drinks, jam, tinned tomatoes, sweets, sauces
What it actually is
Citric acid is the acid that makes lemons sour, and it is also a step in the citric acid cycle — the process every cell in your body uses to release energy. You produce and consume far more of it internally than you will ever eat as an additive.
One common misconception is worth correcting: industrial citric acid is not extracted from citrus fruit. It is produced by fermenting sugar with the mould Aspergillus niger, a process developed in the 1910s that made it cheap enough to use everywhere. This is occasionally presented online as a sinister revelation; it is ordinary industrial fermentation, closer to how vinegar or citric-tasting cheeses are made.
Why it is in everything
Citric acid does several jobs at once. It provides tartness, adjusts pH so preservatives work and pathogens do not, and chelates trace metals that would otherwise catalyse rancidity — which is why it appears in oils and fatty products with no sour taste at all.
Its ADI is 'not specified', the category EFSA uses for substances where no numerical limit is needed.
The one real caveat
Citric acid is an acid, and acidic drinks erode dental enamel over time. This is a well-established effect and applies to fruit juice and unsweetened sparkling citrus drinks as much as to sweetened soft drinks — it is independent of sugar content.
This is a dental consideration rather than a toxicological one, and it is about consumption pattern: sipping acidic drinks across a day is worse than drinking them with a meal. Frela does not model dental erosion, so it is worth knowing separately.
How Frela scores it
Frela rates E330 no known risk. It does not reduce the additive component at all, and a long ingredient list is not penalised simply for containing it.
This is deliberate. A scoring system that flinches at citric acid would be crying wolf, and would make the flags that matter — nitrite, azo colours, E171 — easier to ignore.
Common questions
Is citric acid made from mould dangerous?
No. The organism is used to ferment sugar and is removed during purification; the finished acid is the same molecule found in fruit. Beer, cheese and soy sauce are made with comparable processes.
Is it the same as vitamin C?
No, and they are confused constantly. Vitamin C is ascorbic acid (E300). Citric acid has no vitamin activity.
Why do some people say they react to it?
Reported intolerance exists but is rare and poorly characterised. Some accounts may relate to residues from the fermentation process rather than the acid itself, though this is not well established.
Sources
- EFSA — Re-evaluation of citric acid (E330) and citrate salts (2022)
- Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives
Last reviewed:
