Calcium citrate is a water-soluble powder used in food preservation, flavoring, and supplements. It can increase calcium content, stabilize products, and is more easily absorbed than calcium carbonate. It can also be used as a water softener and is generated through the fermentation process.
Calcium citrate is the calcium salt of citric acid, which is a naturally mild acid. The mineral is a cold, water-soluble powder often used to preserve, flavor, or add texture or substance to foods. It can also be found in calcium supplements. Calcium citrate can also be used as a water softener.
As a food additive, calcium citrate can serve a number of purposes. It can be used to neutralize or buffer acid and firm or stabilize a product. The mineral can also be used to increase the calcium content of foods. The sour but salty taste of calcium citrate can also flavor foods. Some of the products used for enhancement include soy milk, flour, sweet condensed milk, and powdered milk.
Although calcium carbonate is a less expensive way to add calcium to supplements, some people are unable to absorb the compound. Calcium citrate is often used as a substitute, as it tends to be more easily absorbed by most patients. It is also less likely to cause constipation, gas, and bloating than calcium carbonate, although it can still cause these symptoms. The compound is typically used only when other minerals won’t work because more is needed to get the same calcium content as calcium carbonate.
Calcium citrate supplements are often particularly effective in recent gastric bypass surgery patients due to changes in the composition of their digestive systems, such as decreased stomach acid. As a supplement, it can also be used to treat people who have trouble building and maintaining bone mass, such as osteoporosis patients. It can also help maintain healthy muscle, nerve, and heart function. The supplement can be problematic for people who have had a parathyroid gland disorder or kidney stones.
The mineral can also be purchased in powdered form to use as a water softener. It is effective for this purpose because it contains ions that chelate or remove heavy metals. These compounds increase the toxicity of the water.
Calcium citrate can be generated as part of the fermentation process that produces citric acid. Compounds such as calcium hydroxide and rust, which neutralize the acid, cause the reaction that generates the mineral. It is prepared in a broth solution from which it is filtered, washed and then dried to a solid. The solid is often ground for use in food products or supplements. If the final product is to be citric acid, then the solid will be mixed with dilute sulfuric acid.
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