Each unfamiliar element in the composition of store products raises many questions among consumers regarding safety and effects on the body. This is especially true of various E-elements, without which few products can do today. The additive E 330 is quite common - what harm does it pose to humans, where can it be found?
Additive E 330: main characteristics
The substance hidden behind the faceless code "E330" is well known to most people - it is citric acid: a crystalline powder that can have a slight yellowish tint. Based on it in Soviet time they prepared homemade lemonade, and in general it is still actively used in cooking, so at first glance there is no harm from the food additive E 330. But whether this is so remains to be seen.
Lemon acid- a natural antioxidant that affects the acidity of products, and also protects them from discoloration.
In its natural form, citric acid is found in any citrus fruits, as well as in cranberries and pineapples. The crystalline substance, which is used in the food industry, was originally of natural origin (from lemons, of course), but later, in order to reduce costs, they began to make it using sugar and a special fungus that starts the fermentation process. Of course, the spectrum of influence on the body of the substance has changed. That is why there has been controversy about its harmlessness.
As an antioxidant and antioxidant food additive E330 has found application in the food industry, where it can replace salt, fix the shade of the product. In addition, it stabilizes and taste qualities- this mainly concerns meat, so sausages, sausages, bacon, ham almost do not do without it. It also occurs in:
- pasta (from soft wheat varieties);
- chocolate;
- confectionery;
- baby food;
- jams, jams, confitures;
- sauces;
- fruit and vegetable preservation;
- frozen vegetables (peeled and chopped);
- semi-finished products;
- marmalade.
About half of the total E330 additive is produced in China, with 50% of it going to drinks and only 20% to food. It has also found application in detergents, as it corrodes fat, and is occasionally included in perfumes, cosmetics, medicines (often syrups).
If natural citric acid could be relatively harmless, which is debatable, then made on the basis of the fungus already definitely has disadvantages. In addition, experts remind that all food additives have impurities that do not have a positive effect on the body. But much more attention should be paid not to them, but to their own properties (disadvantages) of the E330 additive:
- damage to tooth enamel;
- allergic reactions up to suffocation and vomiting;
- irritation of the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines - as with any acid, its origin does not play a role (therefore, products with its participation are prohibited for ulcers and gastritis);
- deterioration in the assimilation of other useful elements;
- carcinogenicity (a controversial statement, it refers specifically to an artificially synthesized additive);
- exacerbation of diseases of the liver and pancreas.
Almost every housewife in the house has citric acid, which is indispensable in cooking. For about a century, it has also been used for industrial purposes in the production of a wide variety of products. True, in the past few decades, this nutritional supplement is indicated on the packaging as E330 - a substance responsible for stabilizing products and maintaining the required level of acidity. It would seem that citric acid is completely harmless to the human body, but this is not at all the case. In large volumes, E 330 can become a serious source of health problems even in perfectly healthy people.
What are the benefits of citric acid?
Initially, this white substance, odorless, but with a characteristic sour taste, was extracted from various fruits. Citrus fruits and, first of all, lemons were considered the leader in the content of "lemon". However, if at home the required amount of such a preservative and stabilizer can be obtained from the juice of this fruit, then for industrial production E330 this option is considered quite expensive. It is for this reason that in the middle of the last century, the technology of synthesizing citric acid from chemicals was mastered in many countries of the world, which served as a powerful impetus for the development of the canning food industry.
Citric acid is an excellent preservative, since most of the microbes known to mankind do not survive in an acidic environment. In addition, E330 belongs to the category of the most powerful antioxidants, thanks to which you can keep the freshness of almost any product. Separately, it is worth mentioning the stabilizing qualities of "lemon", which perfectly regulates the taste of any food, whether salted cucumbers or fruit jelly.
Scope of E330
Initially, citric acid was used in the food industry and, first of all, in confectionery production. Sweets and pastries, desserts and creams - all these delicacies still include E330 to this day. Plus, the vast majority of carbonated drinks today contain E330. After the antioxidant properties of citric acid were discovered, it became an invariable component in the production of cosmetics. The anti-aging effect of E330 is widely used in creams and masks, shampoos and sprays. The antibacterial properties of citric acid have been appreciated by manufacturers of deodorants and aftershave lotions, which now provide very long-term protection of the skin from germs and have disinfectant qualities.
"Lemon" has the ability to dissolve calcium. It is for this reason that it is part of all kinds of cleaning and detergents that we all use in everyday life. With their help, you can easily remove scale and white deposits from various surfaces without much mechanical effort. The same property of E330 has found wide application in the petrochemical and gas industry.
Why is citric acid so dangerous?
It has been proven that in small doses, the E330 stabilizer has a very positive effect on the human body, as it has anti-aging and antibacterial properties. but high concentration of E330 in cosmetics can cause chemical burns epidermis and mucous membrane respiratory tract. In addition, upon contact with tooth enamel, due to the neutralization of calcium, citric acid contributes to its destruction. Foods containing E330 are not recommended for people suffering from gastrointestinal diseases, since citric acid can only aggravate the problem. Moreover, a large concentration of this substance in drinks or food can lead to burns of the esophagus.
Citric acid is widely used in the food industry under the name additive E 330. This substance has a purely sour taste, which allows it to be used as an acidity regulator in products such as bakery and confectionery, chocolate, ice cream, convenience foods, juices and carbonated drinks. However, E 330 also has antioxidant properties, that is, it protects goods from spoilage and extends their shelf life. Therefore, products containing citric acid are not limited to the list of sweets - it is also canned vegetables and fruit, meat and even alcohol. In addition to food, E 330 is found in cosmetics, pharmacology, and household chemicals.
Description of the substance
Citric acid is a white, odorless, crystalline powder with a sharply sour taste. In its natural environment, it is found in rose hips, sweet peppers, lemon and citrus fruits.
But this nutritional supplement is not extracted from natural ingredients, but is produced through a fermentation process from carbohydrates with the help of special bacteria. This technology reduces the cost of its manufacture, which gives impetus to the introduction of E 330 in a large number of food products. Now acid can be bought cheaply in almost every store.
Positive properties
In the food industry, E 330 is used due to its properties to influence products:
- protects from decay and damage;
- regulates taste;
- retains color and presentation.
It also has a positive effect on the human body. The main effect of citric acid is its inclusion in the Krebs tricarboxylic acid cycle, which provides energy to every cell of the body, so a certain amount of it is vital for the normal functioning of all systems.
Positive effect on the body of food additive E 330:
- acceleration of metabolism;
- renewal of cellular structures, due to which cell rejuvenation occurs;
- removal of toxins from the body;
- increase immunity and general resistance.
Citric acid is also used in cosmetology. Its use in this form helps to fight acne, wrinkles, restores the youthful complexion of the skin of the face and body.
Negative Effects
However, citric acid affects the human body not only positively. There is a certain benefit from the use of an antioxidant, but due to the fact that the additive is widely distributed on the shelves of shops and supermarkets, its abundant use negatively affects health. Citric acid is used even in baby food, so it is imperative to monitor the composition of products for the child and try to reduce the content of non-natural components in it.
This also applies to people suffering from chronic pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract. In the presence of chronic colitis, cholecystitis, pancreatitis or other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, the consumption of foods containing E 330 is limited. This is especially true for chronic gastritis, since an increase in the acidity of the stomach in this case leads to a severe complication of the course of the disease. It is better to limit yourself to a strict diet.
Like any concentrated acid, E 330 can cause chemical burns on the skin and mucous membranes. When using it, you need to be very careful, avoid getting any amount of powder into the eyes, mucous membranes of the mouth and nose. It is necessary to hide the bags with the additive from children.
The harm that E 330 does:
- burn of mucous membranes when used in powder form;
- destruction of tooth enamel and caries;
- increased acidity of the stomach;
- exacerbation of the chronic course of gastrointestinal pathologies.
Food supplements, which have firmly entered our lives, are unlikely to surprise anyone today.
Despite the generally negative attitude towards additives, some of them, for example, E-330, do not negative impact on the human body and can be found in natural products.
Citric acid (Citric Acid), coded E-330, belongs to the group of natural antioxidants. It has a characteristic sour taste and is involved in human metabolic processes. It is a white crystalline powder, perfectly soluble in water and alcohols.
When heated to temperature regime more than 175 degrees, the acid decomposes into water and carbon dioxide molecules. Currently, the substance is mined from the most various products: sugar, lemon, molasses, pineapple waste, etc.
Since extracting the acid powder from citrus proved to be costly on an industrial scale, the synthesis of material from chemicals was mastered, which had a serious impact on the development of canning enterprises around the world.
Use in everyday life
E330 is widely used not only in everyday life, but also in industrial production of the food and cosmetic industries. As a flavoring additive, it does not cause harm at all, but only a positive effect on our body, when used in moderation. It can be found in most juices and juice products, in confectionery.
In cosmetics, e330 is contained as a pH acidity regulator in such preparations as:
- shampoos;
- lotions;
- cosmetic creams;
- elixirs;
- hair sprays and more.
The spread of citric acid was favored by the antioxidant properties discovered in it in the middle of the last century. Today, every person on the dressing table can be found containing acidic deodorants and lotions that provide not only skin protection, but also proper disinfection.
Due to its ability to dissolve calcium salts, citric acid is found in most of our everyday detergents and cleaners. Without much effort, with its help, we easily remove almost any household scale and do not harm all kinds of metal and ceramic surfaces. A similar action and influence of the additive made it possible to use it in oil production.
Useful properties of citric acid
This supplement has a positive effect on cellular respiration, it is actively involved in cell renewal. Our body and, in particular, our skin, should be grateful to it for many things, as the elasticity of the upper layer improves and the number of wrinkles decreases. Accumulated toxins and toxic substances come out through the pores.
In addition, citric acid is added to fats and margarines to prevent them from going rancid. It has become indispensable in the food industry due to its preservative properties. The substance E330 is used as a baking powder for dough - in combination with baking soda, carbon dioxide is released, which gives the dough additional airiness.
Most of the known microbes are not able to survive in an acidic environment, and therefore harm and negatively affect the human body, which is why acid powder is added as a preservative to many types of products. With the help of acid, manufacturers manage to regulate the taste and color of a number of products, and the substances contained in it neutralize them from the decay of heavy metal particles.
What can cause concern?
Doctors substantiated the effect of the substance on humans and began to use it in order to improve metabolic and energy exchange processes. Some harm can occur with the use of significant amounts of the drug.
First of all, when eating a chemical compound, there is a gradual destruction of tooth enamel, accompanied by the development of caries. With a single ingestion of a large dose of acid, burns of the digestive organs occur, which causes vomiting, as well as irritation of the respiratory tract.
Contact with the surface of the eyes or skin provokes a chemical burn. Small amounts of E330 can have a beneficial effect on the adult body, because it has antibacterial and rejuvenating qualities. But its excessive concentration is contraindicated in persons suffering from diseases of the digestive tract, to whom acid causes significant harm.
Despite the fact that E330 is approved by the world's main health organizations and is allowed as a food additive even in the EU countries, the golden mean rule is true in this case too. The allowable daily dose of the supplement should not exceed 100-115 mg per 1 kilogram of the body in order to beneficial features did not cause harm to each of us.
Substance E330 is known to every housewife as citric acid, which has long been used for industrial purposes for the production of most products. Food supplement E330 is responsible for the stabilization of products and maintains the required level of acidity.
The benefits of citric acid
From the very beginning, this white, odorless substance was extracted from fruits. A large amount of citric acid is found in citrus fruits. At home, for example, from a lemon, you can easily get the required amount of this stabilizer, but in industry, this method of producing E330 is very expensive. Therefore, in the middle of the last century, the technology of synthesizing citric acid by chemical methods was mastered, which became a good impetus for the development of the preservative industry for the food industry.
Citric acid is one of the strongest antioxidants, which helps to keep the freshness of any products longer, because in an acidic environment, most microbes simply do not survive. in addition, the E330 perfectly regulates the taste of products, both pickles and sweets, such as fruit jellies.
The effect of E330 on the human body
The effect of E330 on the human body is purely positive, because the valuable properties of citric acid have a beneficial effect on the cellular respiration of the body. Cell renewal affects appearance skin - reducing wrinkles, increasing the elasticity of the epidermis. And through the pores of E330 removes harmful toxins and toxins. Citric acid is actively involved in metabolic processes, which gives energy for a full life.
Application of E330
Here in the food industry, citric acid is used in the confectionery industry. Sweets, desserts and pastries always include E330, and citric acid is now part of all carbonated drinks.
When the antioxidant properties of the E330 preservative became known, it began to be used in cosmetic production. The rejuvenating effect of citric acid is used in creams, masks, shampoos and spireas. Adding it to deodorants and aftershave provides good skin protection from germs.
The property of citric acid to dissolve calcium has given it wide application in the petrochemical and gas industries. Also, E330 is part of almost all detergents and cleaning products that are used daily in everyday life.
Harm
In small quantities, the E330 stabilizer has a rather positive effect on the human body, because it has anti-aging and antibacterial properties. But a high concentration of citric acid in cosmetics can cause burns to the skin and respiratory mucosa. in addition, upon contact with tooth enamel, due to the neutralization of calcium, it harms E330, contributing to its destruction.
Food products containing the preservative E330 are contraindicated for people who have diseases of the stomach and intestines, because citric acid in these cases exacerbates the problems. And if a large amount of this substance is contained in drinks, then the negative consequences will be burns of the esophagus. You need to know that the daily dosage of this supplement is from 60 to 110 mg per kilogram of body weight.
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