Citric Acid & Corn/Wheat allergy

[kaz]

Mostly not applicable to raw feeders but interesting all the same

Citric acid intolerance occurs when a sufferer is unable to produce a certain enzyme, such a negative response can damage the lining of the gut and impair digestion and in turn can predispose the suffer to acquire true food allergies as poorly digested food proteins enter the bloodstream the damaged gut wall and the immune system is exposed to high levels. In humans, citric acid intolerance includes symptoms such as bloating, excess wind, nausea, stomach cramps and diarrhoea.

Citric acid is a very common food additive and in dog food is most commonly used as a preservative as well as acting as a catalyst for other preservatives. It is implicated in canine bloat. Its E number is E330. [Vitamin C/ascorbic acid is E300, chemically the only difference between citric acid and vitamin C is one additional oxygen atom in citric acid]

Citric acid frequently used as a preservative, and many vegetable and fruits are washed in a mild citric acid solution to prevent them going brown (and looking less appealing to shoppers) by reacting to oxygen in the air (oxidization).

I recently asked somebody knowledgeable about supplements how they thought citric acid was made, the obvious reply was from citrus fruit peel.

Only 1% - yes one - of the worlds citric acid is still produced from citrus fruits [in Mexico and South America] Surprise surprise, this is for economical reasons. The world market requirement for citric acid is 5000,000 tons per year.

The most common synthesis for citric acid production is by fermenting cane sugar or molasses in the presence of a fungus called Aspergillus niger, a mould that feeds on syrup glucose, the reason for choosing A. niger over other fungi species is cheaper raw materials [molasses] used as a substrate which provide consistently higher yields. Other fungi are used with various kinds of yeast and bacteria being known to accumulate citric acid in the medium. A couple of other fermentation processes are known but they are not economically ‘competitive’.

Citric acid is also frequently made from corn, and a reaction to corn is actually a reaction to the citric acid that is in the corn. Citric acid is found in MANY foods naturally, and not just citrus fruits and most people think.

This may be starting to make sense to some of you who have studied lists of things to avoid for corn/wheat allergies. Most of the citric acid that is used for food additives is mould extract and yeast allergy sufferers have to avoid it for that reason!

A few of many things on the list include citric acid, citric cloud emulsion, molasses, natural flavourings [includes citric acid] sodium citrate, and dozens more.

I recently noticed for the first time that Aspergillus was listed in the nutrient profile of a complete diet

Ochratoxicosis is caused by ochratoxin and citrinin of fungi/moulds such as aspergillus, penicillin citrinum etc

Citric acid is also known to cause a decrease in calcium absorption