Acidifiers / Anti-coagulants / Flavoring Agents; Protectors and Developers / Miscellaneous / Synergists
Citric acid
Parameters
- Chart entries
- 5
- Purposes
- To adjust acidity; To prevent clotting; To protect flavor; To preserve cured color during storage; To increase effectiveness of antioxidants
- Curing agent
- no
9 CFR 424.21, chart at paragraph (c). eCFR as in force on 2026-01-01, retrieved 2026-09-04.
Permitted uses and amounts
| Class | Purpose | Products | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acidifiers | To adjust acidity | Various meat and poultry products 2 | Sufficient for purpose. 3 |
| Anti-coagulants | To prevent clotting | Fresh blood of livestock | 0.2 percent with or without water. When water is used to make a solution of citric acid added to the blood of livestock, not more than 2 parts of water to 1 part of citric acid shall be used. |
| Flavoring Agents; Protectors and Developers | To protect flavor | Various poultry products | Sufficient for purpose. |
| Miscellaneous | To preserve cured color during storage | Cured pork cuts | Not to exceed 30 percent in water solution used to spray surfaces of cured cuts, prior to packaging, in accordance with 21 CFR 184.1033. (The use of such solution shall not result in the addition of a significant amount of moisture to the product and shall be applied only once to product). |
| Synergists | To increase effectiveness of antioxidants | Any meat product permitted to contain antioxidants as provided for in this part | Not to exceed 0.01 percent based on fat content. |
Footnotes referenced above
- 1 [Reserved]
- 2 Information as to the specific products for which use of this additive is approved may be obtained upon inquiry addressed to the Labeling and Additives Policy Division, Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC 20250.
- 3 Provided that its use is functional and suitable for the product and it is permitted for use at the lowest level necessary to accomplish the desired technical effect as determined in specific cases prior to label approval under part 412 of this chapter.
Buying it
The chart above is a regulatory permission: it says this substance may be used, for which purpose, in which products and up to what amount. It is not a recommendation to use it, and the amount in the chart is a ceiling rather than a dose. A retail form of this substance exists, and it is linked below so that the figure in the chart can be checked against what is actually in the packet.
Affiliate links
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Listing
- Lowest new, checked 2026-09-04
- $9.96
- Brand
- Spicy World
- ASIN
- B00K2814ZK
Affiliate link, tag carbs.com-20. Prices read from the Amazon Creators API on 2026-09-04 and not re-fetched since. Amazon prices move within a day; treat these as the figure on that date, not as a quote.
Source: Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), Title 9, 9 CFR 424.21. Parsed from eCFR XML as in force on 2026-01-01, retrieved 2026-09-04. Read the section