Food & Drink / Compounds / Citric acid monohydrate

Citric acid monohydrate in food: ingestion safety

Context-dependent

Safety profile for Citric acid monohydrate relevant to people.

What is citric acid monohydrate?

Also known as: Citric acid hydrate, CITRIC ACID, MONOHYDRATE, 1,2,3-Propanetricarboxylic acid, 2-hydroxy-, monohydrate, citric acid;hydrate.

CAS number
5949-29-1
Molecular formula
C6H10O8
Molecular weight
210.14 g/mol
SMILES
C(C(=O)O)C(CC(=O)O)(C(=O)O)O.O
PubChem CID
22230

Risk for people

Context-dependent

Regulatory consensus

1 regulatory bodyhas classified Citric acid monohydrate.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
Regulatory Framework—Regulated under food safety frameworks (FDA GRAS, EU food additive regulations)

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where you encounter citric acid monohydrate

  • Food — acidulant, preservative, flavor

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Citric acid monohydrate:

  • Natural alternatives; Minimally processed food
    Trade-offs: Consumer label appeal ('clean label'); variable efficacy depending on food matrix and target pathogen; may alter flavor/color; regulatory status varies by jurisdiction; often more expensive per unit of preservation effect.
    Relative cost: 2-5× conventional

Frequently asked questions

What products contain citric acid monohydrate?

Citric acid monohydrate appears in: acidulant (Food); preservative (Food).

See Citric acid monohydrate in the food app

Look up products containing citric acid monohydrate, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in food View raw API data

Sources (1)
  1. PubChem (2026) — database

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →