Is Citric Acid Safe?
The FDA's regulation, 21 CFR 184.1033, describes citric acid as a naturally occurring constituent of plant and animal tissues, and says it may be produced by recovery from sources such as lemon or pineapple juice, by fermentation using Candida species, or by a solvent extraction process that recovers it from Aspergillus niger fermentation liquor. It says citric acid is used in food with no limitations other than current good manufacturing practice.
Most is made with a fungus. In a 2018 paper in Toxicology Reports, Sweis and Cressey wrote that approximately 99 percent of the world's production of manufactured citric acid is carried out using the fungus Aspergillus niger.
A few case reports raised questions. The same authors presented four case reports of people with repeated inflammatory reactions, including respiratory symptoms, joint pain, irritable bowel symptoms and muscle pain, after eating foods, drinks or vitamins containing manufactured citric acid, and wrote that it may lead to a harmful inflammatory response and warrants further study. They acknowledged the limited evidence from four case reports and said they cannot conclusively affirm that manufactured citric acid caused the symptoms.
Sources checked September 15, 2026. Every point below links the page it came from.
The sources behind this answer
- Regulatory filingUnder 21 CFR 184.1033, citric acid is a naturally occurring constituent of plant and animal tissues that occurs as colorless crystals or a white powder. US FDA, 21 CFR 184.1033 (eCFR) ↗
- Regulatory filingThe FDA regulation says citric acid may be produced from lemon or pineapple juice, by fermentation using Candida species, or by solvent extraction from Aspergillus niger fermentation liquor. US FDA, 21 CFR 184.1033 (eCFR) ↗
- Regulatory filingThe FDA citric acid regulation says the ingredient is used in food with no limitations other than current good manufacturing practice. US FDA, 21 CFR 184.1033 (eCFR) ↗
- StudySweis and Cressey wrote in 2018 that approximately 99 percent of the world's manufactured citric acid is produced using the fungus Aspergillus niger. Toxicology Reports, via PubMed Central ↗
- StudySweis and Cressey presented four case reports of repeated inflammatory reactions after consuming products with manufactured citric acid, and said its use warrants further studies to document its safety. Toxicology Reports, via PubMed Central ↗
- StudyThe authors acknowledged the limited evidence from four case reports and said they cannot conclusively affirm manufactured citric acid caused the symptoms. Toxicology Reports, via PubMed Central ↗
Sources checked September 15, 2026. A brand statement is the company’s own claim, which we report but have not verified. Our grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests.