Citric acid is an essential organic acid
naturally presents in various citrus fruits.
The citric acid has been first isolated and
crystallized by Swedish chemist Carl
Wilhelm Scheele. From this incident, the
importance of citric acid has been
understood and has utilized by various
industries like food, cosmetics and
pharmaceuticals. The estimated global
production of citric acid is about 7, 36,000
tons per year. More than 70% of the citric
acid is used in the food and fermentation
industries as acidulants, preservatives,
stabilizers, flavor enhancers and chelators.
Less than 10% is used in cosmetic and
pharmaceutical industries.