The PSBB Millennium School

Chemistry Investigatory Project

Preservatives –
Citric Acid

Sonesh Kumar Swain XII-A

BONAFIDE CERTIFICATE
ALL INDIAN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL CERTIFICATE
EXAMINATION

This is to certify the bonafide project work of the student Master

_____________________________________________ of class

______ with registration number _____________________ of

THE PSBB MILLENNIUM SCHOOL,

GERUGAMBAKKAM, CHENNAI during the academic year

2019-20

DATE:

INTERNAL EXAMINER:

EXTERNAL EXAMINER:

PRINCIPAL’S SIGNATURE:
 Acknowledgment
I would like to appreciate everyone who helped me to
complete this report. I sincerely thank my Chemistry
teacher, Mrs Saraswathi Srinivasan, for her guidance
throughout this project and our respected principal madam,
Mrs Bhavani Baskar. I would also like to thank our lab
assistant, Mrs Swarna for helping me in the lab. I thank my
parents and my friends who supported and motivated me
all through the project.
 Index
Statement of
Purpose……………………………………………….
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Introduction…………………………………………
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Aim……………………………………………………
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Materials
Required………………………………………………
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Procedure……………………………………………
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Result…………………………………………………
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Contribution towards
society…………………………………..
Scope of
improvement…………………………………………
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Bibliography…………………………………………
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Statement of Purpose
I have chosen this topic because I myself have been a
victim of many diseases resulting from ingestion of
spoilt food. To keep it fresh and edible, we use
preservatives. Food spoilage results in one-third of the
world’s food produced for the consumption of
humans to be wasted. We use many synthetic
preservatives, but they come with side effects like
hypersensitivity, asthma, and even cancer. So we
should learn to mainly use natural preservatives like
citric acid to avoid these problems.
Through this project, we can create awareness among
people to keep their food fresh and edible and to not
waste it or become sick by ingesting it.

Introduction
We know many preservatives which are used in everyday life to increase shell
life of all kinds of food items. They are actually natural or synthetic substances
that are added to fruits, vegetables, prepared food items, cosmetics and
pharmaceuticals in order to increase their shell life and maintain their quality and
safety by inhibiting, retarding or arresting their fermentation, acidification,
microbial contamination and decomposition. The main use is to prevent growth
of microbes like fungi and bacteria. Usages of synthetic preservatives like
nitrites, nitrates, benzoates, etc. prolong the shell life of food items but also
expose us to risks like asthma, hypersensitivity, cancer, allergy and neurological
damage. The majority of preservatives used today are artificial rather than
natural.
The usage of natural preservatives dates back to the Egyptian, Greek, Sumerian
and Chinese civilisations, when sugar and salt were used. They produced
environments of high osmotic pressure that denied bacteria the aqueous
surroundings they needed to live and reproduce. As time passed, methods like
pickling with salt, vinegar, lemon juice or mustard oil became popular. And
recently, synthetic preservatives have come into existence, which turns out to be
better than their natural counterparts but come with risks.
Preservatives are classified as class I — Natural preservatives like salt, sugar,
lemon juice, vinegar, syrup, spices, honey and edible oil, etc.; and class II —
Synthetic or Chemical preservatives like benzoates, sorbates, nitrites and nitrates
of potassium or sodium, sulphites, etc. In another sense, they are classified as:-
1. Antimicrobials: These destroy or delay the growth of bacteria, yeast and
moulds. E.g.: e.g. nitrites and nitrates prevent botulism in meat products.
Sulfur dioxide prevents further degradation in fruits, wine and beer.
Benzoates and sorbates are anti-fungal agents used in jams, salads, cheese
and pickles.
2. Anti-oxidants: These slow or stop the breakdown of fats and oils in food
that occurs in the presence of oxygen leading to rancidity. There are three
types of antioxidants: True antioxidants such as Butylated hydroxytoluene
(BHT) and Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) block chain reactions by
reacting with free radicals; Reducing agents such as ascorbic acid have
lower redox potential than the drug or excipients they are protecting, and
Antioxidant synergists such as Sodium edetate enhance the effects of other
antioxidants.
3. Anti-enzymatic preservatives: These block the enzymatic processes such
as ripening occurring in foodstuffs even after harvest, e.g. erythorbic acid
and citric acid stop the action of enzyme phenolase that leads to a brown
color on the exposed surface of cut fruits or potato.
One famous preservative is citric acid, which belongs to the category of anti-
oxidants. It has a sour flavour, preservative quality and ability to act as a pH
buffer. This helps it in preserving food items. Since many bacteria are unable to
grow in an acidic environment, citric acid is often added to jams jellies, candy,
etc.
Citric acid is a colourless crystalline compound that belongs to the family of
carboxylic acids. Its molecular formula is C6H8O7 and it has the following
structure:-
Citric acid is odourless and colourless. It has a density of 1.66g/ml, a melting
point of 426 K and a boiling point of 583 K. It has an acidic (sour) taste