Question from Michele
I am going to can some tomato sauce in a water bath. The directions say I can add either citric acid or lemon juice. I was leaning toward the lemon juice but was concerned with a change in flavor, not exactly suitable for spaghetti sauce. Should I have any concerns with using citric acid?
Debra’s Answer
Citric acid is considered safe as a food additive and it occurs naturally in citrus fruits, however my concern about using it is an industrial product, versus the natural citric acid that would be present in lemon juice.
Here’s a description of how citric acid is produced as an industrial product:
Having never canned tomatoes myself, I was wondering why add either, and found a webpage where it says you can add bottled lemon juice, citric acid, or vinegar to can tomatoes in a hot water bath. It didn’t say how much you need to add, so I don’t know how it would effect the flavor. I don’t think your tomatoes will taste like lemon. You could add vinegar. Or use a different canning method.
When I read this, it gave me goosebumps! Left me absolutely stunned and speechless. It’s not JUST GMO or MSG that’s the problem…there’s more, a lot more, to be concerned about…
Believe it or not, “Citric Acid” is made using a MOLD (from CORN or BEETS, not Citrus), and likely contains GMO and even MSG !!
Citric Acid is in practically everything…baby food, juices, canned foods, tomato based products, skincare products…and soooo much more…I can’t even put into words how incredibly harmful this ingredient is regardless of how small the amount is, regardless of how healthy a person is, because after all, it’s in just about everything, even many “organic” foods options.
To make matters worse, the article where I learned all of this
http://www.nogmo4michigan.org/hidden_gmo_exposed_citric_acid
states:
“Citric acid and other food additives manufactured with genetically modified microorganisms do not have to be labeled if the manufacture claims that the additive has been purified and contains no microorganisms.”
Note: I can tell you from personal experience and from having spoken with multiple technical specialists who work for supplement / food manufacturers, who have confirmed it as well, that when companies state that they “remove the mold and other microorganisms out of their products in a purification process”, the machines that remove and verify the removal are not accurate / reliable (the microbes are still there). e.g, the DNA lab test (PCR) that tries to detect if mold is present is usually set to detect levels that are much higher than zero, meaning that they can adjust the sensitivity level so it shows up negative, yet when another more sensitive machine tests it, it can actually be positive.
The fact that citric acid does NOT have to be labeled is just beyond words…the more I think about this, the more I wonder about the possibility of this being connected to “population control” (the folks who think that there are too many people in the world taking up precious/limited resources and who believe that measures need to be taken to get “resource-hoggers” out of the picture). It’s certainly no secret that there are many top officials in the White House, and in many branches of government today who are strong advocates of population control… I know this is hard to believe, but try researching it and get the truth…
Wow. That seemed like a bit of a leap. Of course they leave unsettling stuff in citric acid. They leave unsettling stuff in everything! It’s how mass production works. You can find information for how many mold spores are allowed in food, or how many ppm of bugs are allowed in chocolate. There are pesticides on our crops and we consume the same stuff we use as coolant in our cars. There is added refined sugar in 4 out of 5 items in big box grocery stores. Products that are labeled, or even certified, gluten free can have up to 20ppm of gluten – I know, because I react to that little. My favorite is beaver anal excretions in “natural flavors” XP Ever wonder why gut health issues are so much more severe than they were a generation or two ago? Industrialization took the nature out of our food. There are countless “I can’t believe that’s in my food” items that are way more harmful than citric acid. I’m not sure lack of requirements for labeling citric acid immediately leads to the government trying to kill is off. We know what we’re doing to ourselves, but we can also chose to avoid all those controversial things. Have hope and find your happiness!
Modern tomatoes don’t have as much acid as tomatoes did in the past. That’s why you should add an acid when canning them with a hot water bath. I add 1 tsp. lemon juice per pint. You don’t even know it’s there when you taste it.
Just because something is “considered” safe, doesn’t mean it is. First of all, “considered” by whom? The same organizations and regulators that are telling us numerous other toxins are safe? Second, nobody does studies on these things because there’s no profit motive for it, so it takes a long time for us to learn whether something is truly safe or not. General rule of thumb: when it comes to food and your body, if something is an ADDITIVE, it’s not a product you would normally eat and your body won’t process it well. Don’t be fooled by thinking just because lemons and limes produce citric acid that this is the form used in products AND that it is safe to eat it in lots of food products. The Europeans are noting excessive tooth decay in children using citric acid products. Be wary.
I can’t eat or use anything that contains citric acid or lactic acid that is made from corn. I’m allergic to corn and sulfites, and react to even trace amounts in those acids, and other additives that are made from corn/sulfites. They are hard to avoid, for people who are allergic to them. And they are usually made from GMOs, too.
My daughter and I are allergic/sensitive to corn and everything that is derived from it. And it is true 99% of citric acid is from corn or has it in the processing. So with everything else that we touch we must call the company, especially since corn does not have to be declared as an ingredient many times. So I plan to call Mountain Rose Herbs and ask all of the appropriate corn-y questions….and I will let you all know.
I canned some tomatoes in the past and the only thing I added was a little salt. They tasted great.
I love my parents’ canned goods, and I’m a sucker for the hominess of canning jars – I sometimes use them for drinking glasses. From a nutritional standpoint, though, I’d consider freezing it instead of canning. It preserves more nutrition. It’s aslo less work for you. It may solve your dilemma and it even consumes less energy.
I just purchased citric acid a few weeks ago to dip some fruits I plan on dehydrating. I always by all my bulk culinary/cosmetic supplies from Mountain Rose Herbs. They have a fantastically large supply of organic and natural products. Here is what they say about there citric acid. As long as you buy from a trusted reputable place that doesn’t useanything bad in the process I think your ok.
Our anhydrous Citric Acid comes from the fermentation of crude fruit sugars and is chiefly used to help extend a products shelf life, in retaining a products texture and guarding against appearance loss. It is also a fabulous base ingredient in bath fizzies and scrubbing salts. Blends easily and fluidly without creating a gritty feeling to the final product.
COMMENT FROM DEBRA:
Yes, there is a variety of different ways it can be made. If you are going to use it, Mountain Rose Herbs would I’m sure have chosen the most natural available.
Citric Acid often contains or produces MSG:
http://www.truthinlabeling.org/hiddensources.html
Since it is derived from corn or sugar beets there is a good possibility it is GMO as well……
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_food