Trisodium citrate is a triple salt of citric acid. It is produced by complete neutralization of high purity sodium hydroxide or carbonate and crystallization. Common Hydrate Form Sodium trisodium dihydrate is widely used in various foods, beverages and technical applications, mainly as a buffering, separating or emulsifying agent.
Trisodium citrate is a citrate of citric acid and has a sour and salty taste. There are two types of this product: waterless and dehydrated. By neutralizing citric acid with pure sodium hydroxide or carbonate, trisodium citrate dihydrate is prepared. It is used in food industry as a preservative and in other fields as anticoagulants and biological buffers and its effects in the prevention of kidney stones.
Trisodium citrate has the chemical formula Na₃C₆H₅O₇. It is sometimes referred to as “sodium citrate” for simplicity, although sodium citrate can refer to any of the three sodium salts of citric acid. It has a salty and mild sour taste similar to citric acid as well as a mild alkaline taste.
According to the FDA Food Committee, it is generally known as safe (GRAS). Citrate salts, including trisodium citrate, are generally considered safe when used in normal amounts.
Trisodium citrate is one of the best catalysts in reducing jaundice caused by citric acid.
Family members
Trisodium citrate families also include trisodium citrate dihydrate, Citric acid trisodium salt dihydrate and Sodium citrate tribasic dihydrate.
Specification
Chemical formula: Na3C6H5O7
Molar mass: 258.06 g / mol (dehydrated), 294.10 g / mol (dihydrate)
Appearance: White crystalline powder
Density: 1.7 g / cm3
Melting point: 300 degrees Celsius (572 degrees Fahrenheit)
Usages of trisodium citrate
As mentioned earlier, trisodium citrate has a sour taste similar to citric acid and is also salty. It is often used as a food preservative and as a flavoring in the food industry. Used in the pharmaceutical industry to control pH. It may also be used as an alkaline, buffering agent, emulsifier or separating agent.
The benefits of trisodium citrate are especially in industry, especially in the pharmaceutical and medical industries. It is widely used in medicine and food science as an adjunct or additive. Trisodium citrate is widely and specifically used in phosphate-based detergents and cleaners. Since citric acid is a natural compound and a pervasive metabolite of living organisms, it is not surprising that its environmental behavior is highly favorable. In fact, this complex substance is easily degradable for aquatic organisms.
Use in food industry
The general applications of this acid in the food industry are:
- As an additive, usually for flavor or preservative (for example, as a flavoring in particularly energy drinks and also to help
- create a tart flavor in ready-to-drink drinks)
- As a chelating agent, to prevent food spoilage
- As a pH control agent, to increase shelf life and control acidity
- As an emulsifier for making cheese
Trisodium citrate is mainly used as a food additive, usually for flavor or preservative. It is used as a flavoring agent in certain types of water and carbonated beverages. Trisodium citrate is commonly used as an active ingredient in raw sausages and is also used in ready-to-drink beverages and beverage mixtures to aid in the sour taste of food. It is found in gelatin, ice cream, yogurt, jams, pastries, milk powder, processed cheeses and carbonated beverages.
Trisodium citrate can be used as an emulsion stabilizer when making cheese. This substance makes this cheese water-free without preventing the separation of fats.
Trisodium citrate as a conjugate base of a weak acid can act as a buffering agent or acidity regulator and resist pH changes, so it is used to control acidity in some ingredients such as gelatin desserts. This substance can be found in small milk containers used in coffee machines. This compound is a product of antacids such as Alka-Seltzer that dissolve in water.
Trisodium citrate is added to many commercially packaged dairy products to control the effect of PH on the human digestive system, mainly in processed products such as cheese and yogurt.
Pharmacy and medicine
General applications of sodium triscrate in medicine and pharmacy include:
- As an anticoagulant in blood transfusion
- To relieve discomfort in urinary tract infections
- As an osmotic laxative
- As an antacid to reduce the risks associated with inhaling stomach contents
In 1914, the Belgian physician Albert Houstin and the Argentine physician and researcher Luis Agute successfully used sodium citrate as an anticoagulant in the blood transfusion process, and finally Richard Lewison set the appropriate concentration in 1915.
Today, it is still used to store blood in blood banks. Citrate ions form calcium citrate complexes, chelate calcium ions in the blood, and disrupt the blood clotting mechanism. Recently, trisodium citrate has been used instead of heparin as a blocking agent in vasculature and hemodialysis lines due to its low risk of systemic coagulation.
In 2003, ikpik et al. Concluded that the use of trisodium citrate (0.5 g / kg body weight) improved running performance at 5 km / h in 30 seconds.
Trisodium citrate is used to relieve discomfort in urinary tract infections, such as cystitis, to reduce the acidosis seen in distal tubular acidosis of the kidney, and can also be used as an osmotic laxative.
Trisodium citrate is used as an antacid, especially before anesthesia, in various cesarean sections to reduce the risk of inhaling stomach contents. Sodium citrate / citric acid is also used to alkalize urine and prevent nephrolithiasis.
Trisodium citrate has buffering and antimicrobial properties that can maintain the natural pH of milk and subsequently prevent the formation of calcium ion crystals, leading to mastitis and improved milk quality.
Other industries
- Sanitary detergent
Trisodium citrate is widely and specifically used in phosphate-based detergents and cleaners, as well as as industrial cleaners.
- Descaling of car boilers and radiators
Trisodium citrate is a special agent for removing carbonate shells from boilers as well as cleaning car radiators without reducing their quality or efficiency.
- Other cases
Trisodium citrate is also used to make a variety of goods such as inks, paints, coatings, agricultural chemicals, plastics, polymers, textiles and leather.
Side effects
Side effects and possible side effects of sodium triglyceride include:
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
- Muscle spasm
- Metabolic alkalosis (a disease that occurs when the blood becomes too alkaline)
- Vomit
- Stomach ache
- Liquid storage
Trisodium citrate dihydrate is a triple salt of citric acid. Complete neutralization of citric acid with high-purity sodium hydroxide or carbonate produces subsequent crystallization. Sodium dihydrate Trisodium dihydrate is widely used in foods, beverages and various technical applications as a buffering, separating or emulsifying agent.
Therapeutic benefits of trisodium citrate
- Treatment of kidney stones
Trisodium citrate makes the blood and urine more alkaline or, to put it mildly, less acidic. Trisodium citrate significantly lowers urinary pH and urinary uric acid excretion and decreases serum uric acid levels in allopurinol-treated individuals.
This combination method also effectively improves renal glomerular filtration in some patients by reducing renal function. Therefore, the use of citrate with allopurinol is useful for the treatment of patients with hyperuricemia.
- Benefits of trisodium citrate in blood coagulation
Trisodium citrate is an anticoagulant used to collect blood. The final concentration of citrate in blood compounds in plasma products is as high as possible. Normally, the liver rapidly metabolizes transferred citrate. However, during blood transfusions, the liver’s capacity for this transfusion may be excessive.
Citrate forms a collection of calcium that reduces ionized calcium and leads to hypocalcemia. Although transient hypocalcemia is usually well tolerated, it may affect the nerve cell membrane and cause peripheral or acromial paresthesia.
Therefore, one of the main goals of sodium citrate is to repair and maintain the body’s natural acid-base balance, and of course to try to reduce and prevent heart, bone and kidney problems.
Related articles :