Citric acid is the most widely used food acidulant. The acid and its derivatives are also ingredients in detergents and cleaners, personal care products, pharmaceuticals and industrial applications.
Nearly two-thirds of world consumption of citric acid is in beverages and food, primarily as an acidulant; carbonated soft drinks account for most use. Citric acid adjusts acidity (pH), provides sourness and tartness, enhances flavors, and controls the growth of microorganisms. Food applications include candies, jams and jellies, canned fruits and vegetables, and processed cheese.
In household laundry detergents, citric acid and citrate salts act as builders, enhancing detergent performance by sequestering hardness ions and decreasing soil and dirt redeposition. Because citric acid eliminates common household bacteria, it is widely used in hard-surface cleaners and disinfecting wipes.
The COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on citric acid markets in 2020. Sales of laundry detergents and cleaning products surged, leading to a significant rise in citric acid consumption in these end uses versus 2019. In contrast, consumption of citric acid in beverages and foods decreased slightly because away-from-home consumption of carbonated soft drinks (CSDs) in restaurants and cafeterias fell. After the pandemic, consumption of citric acid in beverages accelerated. When restaurants, bars and cafeterias reopened, strong sales of zero-sugar soft drinks, nonalcoholic beverages and hard seltzers more than offset the overall downward trend in CSD consumption. Overall demand for citric acid is expected to increase at an average annual rate of 3.0% during 2024–29.

Executive summary 7

Summary 8

Introduction 17

Manufacturing processes 18

Environmental issues 21

Legislation and regulation 22

United States 22

Europe 22

Mainland China 23

Japan 24

Supply and demand by region 25

United States 25

      Producing companies 25

      Salient statistics 26

      Consumption 26

      Beverages and food 28

      Beverages 30

      Food other than cheese and dairy 33

      Cheese and dairy products 34

      Household detergents and cleaners 35

      Liquid laundry detergents 37

      Powder laundry detergents 37

      Other cleaners 38

      Pharmaceuticals 38

      Cosmetics 43

      Industrial and other 43

      Metal cleaning and finishing 43

      Miscellaneous 44

      Price 45

      Trade 46

      Imports 46

      Exports 48

Canada 49

      Producing companies 49

      Salient statistics 50

      Consumption 50

      Price 52

      Trade 53

      Imports 54

      Exports 55

Mexico 56

Salient statistics 56

Consumption 56

Trade 58

Brazil 59

      Producing companies 59

      Salient statistics 60

      Consumption 61

      Price 64

      Trade 64

      Imports 65

      Exports 66

Colombia 66

      Producing companies 66

      Salient statistics 67

      Consumption 67

      Price 68

      Trade 69

Other Central and South America 71

      Salient statistics 71

      Consumption 73

      Trade 75

Western Europe 77

      Producing companies 77

      Salient statistics 78

      Consumption 79

      Beverages and food 80

      Beverages 81

      Food 84

      Household detergents and cleaners 84

      Pharmaceuticals and cosmetics 85

      Industrial and other 86

      Price 87

      Trade 88

      Imports 88

      Exports 89

Central and Eastern Europe 90

      Producing companies 90

      Salient statistics 91

      Consumption 91

      Price 93

      Trade 93

      Imports 93

      Exports 95

Eurasia 96

      Producing companies 96

      Salient statistics 96

      Consumption 97

      Price 98

      Trade 99

      Imports 99

      Exports 100

Middle East 100

      Producing companies 100

      Salient statistics 101

      Consumption 102

      Price 103

      Trade 104

      Imports 104

      Exports 105

Africa 106

      Salient statistics 106

      Consumption 107

      Price 108

      Trade 109

      Imports 109

      Exports 110

Mainland China 110

      Producing companies 110

      Salient statistics 112

      Consumption 112

      Beverages and food 113

      Household detergents and cleaners 114

      Pharmaceuticals 114

      Cosmetics 114

      Industrial and other 114

      Price 115

      Trade 115

Japan 117

      Producing companies 117

      Salient statistics 118

      Consumption 118

      Beverages and food 119

      Household detergents and cleaners 119

      Industrial and other 119

      Pharmaceuticals and cosmetics 120

      Price 120

      Trade 120

      Imports 120

      Exports 121

Other Northeast Asia 121

      Salient statistics 121

      Consumption 122

      Price 124

      Trade 124

South Asia 125

      Producing companies 125

      Posy Pharmachem Pvt. Ltd. 126

      Nandu Chemical Industries 126

      Adani Pharmachem Pvt. Ltd. 126

      Salient statistics 127

      Consumption 127

      Price 129

      Trade 129

Southeast Asia and Oceania 130

      Producing companies 130

      Indonesia 131

      Thailand 131

      Cambodia 132

      Salient statistics 132

      Consumption 133

      Price 134

      Trade 135

Appendix - Geographic regions 138

Additional resources 139

Revisions 140

Data Workbook 141

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