Citric acid

[Lynne Billington]

I read the previous posts about citric acid. I'm hear to say that my husband had some strawberry jam yesterday and said it caused him to have a reaction so I checked the label and the only thing that it could have possibly been is citric acid!

Then he said he was doing better until he brushed his teeth. So I checked the toothpaste ingredients and guess what? Citric acid!

So, do we assume as long as it's citric acid such as OJ it's okay but if it's an ADDED ingredient, it's not??

[skbird]

Hi Lynne -

I am not sure what the deal is with Citric Acid but have come to the conclusion for myself that some forms of it are not good for me. Much of the commercial citric acid seems to be made by fermenting sugar (often molassas) with aspergillis niger, a mold. The result is citric acid. This is the form they use in many commercial soft drinks and other foods as the citric acid from oranges and other fruits uses too many resources.

I believe for me that this is a problem because other things that contain aspergillis seem to be problems either for me or a family member. My father had a horrible allergic reaction to the statin drug he was taking for his cholesterol and it was made from another form of aspergillis. I also have trouble with tamari sauces that are fermented, even those that other gluten intolerant people seem to be fine with, and guess what ferments these tamari sauces? Aspergillis. Anyway, I think for me that explains the problem.

Some suspect that since citric acid is fermented with a mold that the mold could be grown on bread as many molds are, and that the gluten could possibly find its way into the end product. So there could be the possibility of a gluten contamination issue. Supposedly the citric acid in the US is gluten free but it is made in other countries, too.

Hope this gives you some info to think about. Sorry your husband had that reaction, it's not fun wondering what will make you have what reaction...
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Stephanie