Instead, mass produced citric acid and ascorbic acid are hidden GMO ingredients
ID: 995814 • Letter: I
Question
Instead, mass produced citric acid and ascorbic acid are hidden GMO ingredients that reportedly set off allergenic responses for some sensitive consumers. Further, both are known accomplices to the creation of benzene – a known human carcinogen – inside food and drink products alongside sodium benzoate.
Feel free to peruse these blogs and forums for complaints about citric acid from those allergic or intolerant to citric acid itself, mold & yeast and/or corn. Food intolerance to citric acid, or the components of its production, can trigger such symptoms as: stomach pain, reactions in the mouth, headaches, diarrhea, vomiting, cramping, hives, dark circles under the eye and/or blotchy skin.
Nevertheless, most people are not allergic to citric acid, and have no identifiable negative effects from eating it.
What do you think of this quote?
Explanation / Answer
This is really a controversial quote. Most people feed of with all kind of food ignoring how dangerous they can be to health and without knowing their chemical constitution.
Since my point of view citric acid is a weak organic tribasic acid. It occurs naturally in citrus fruits. In biochemistry, it is an intermediate in the citric acid cycle, which occurs in the metabolism of all aerobic organisms. On the other hand ascorbic acid, also known as vitamin C, is necessary for wound healing. It is needed for many functions in the body, including helping the body use carbohydrates, fats, and protein. Vitamin C also strengthens blood vessel walls.
But the reality is different, citric acid is an appallingly common food additive: it has an enormous number of uses from providing a sharp, sour flavour to preserving and even acting as a catalyst to other preservatives. Contrary to what we might expect from the name, citric acid does not contain any citrus juice. Instead, the food additive citric acid is manufactured by an industrial culture of a type of mold called Aspergillus Niger.
In the manufacturing process, the mold culture is fed sugar solutions, which are often derived from corn. Many people who react to foods containing citric acid may actually be allergic to the mold or the corn used to produce the acid.
Citric and ascorbic acid are used industrially to make even bland foods taste better and last longer on the shelf, regardless of nutritional value. Academic studies emerged in the early 1990s about a potent combination of ingredients that was frequently showing up in soft drinks, sports drinks and artificially flavored citrus beverages: the presence of sodium benzoate had the known potential to break down in benzene, a known human carcinogen, when in the presence of heat, or in particular, either citric acid or ascorbic acid. Studies proved that this could happen right inside the drink containers – while in transport, on store shelves or waiting for consumption in consumers’ homes.
My advice faced with this situation is to start reading ingredient labels on the brands that you shop for – and those you already know best to avoid – and take note of just how many products contain the hidden GMO ingredient citric acid. It is recommend simplifying your diet by eating fresh produce – better if they are grown by someone you know/trust or are “organic” – and foods with as few ingredients as possible.