Substituting 'True Lemon' for Citric Acid

16 years ago

Hi All,

This is my first post, however I have been lurking for a little while :-)

I have a question for all you experts. Has anyone substituted "True Lemon" crystallized lemon in the shaker bottle for citric acid or fresh/bottled lemon juice in their canning recipes? I've been looking for citric acid in all the local stores and have been unable to find it. And I prefer not to pay $7.00 shipping for a 2 oz package. I did a search but wasn't able to find an answer.

Thanks in advance.

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Comments (7)

Linda_Lou
16 years ago
I have no idea what the ph level of the true lemon is. I would not take a chance until you know. This is a new product so I don't have any information on the ph level.
Bottled lemon juice will work instead of the citric acid, so I would use it. You can look on the True Lemon site and email them.
If you have a wine making shop, they will have it there. Here I can get it at Wilco. It is a farm/feed type hardware store. I don't now where you live so I can't suggest where to buy it real well. Hardware stores that carry canning supplies have it here, too.
Isn't it amazing how they can charge so much for shipping when you can do a flat rate box cheaper ? I don't know why they don't use them instead. Not other than they charge you more than actual shipping is for them. They make money doing that. Just totally unfair to the consumer.
lil_half_pint
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks linda lou! I will email the company and post their answer here when I get it. In the meantime I will check the local feed & seed and ace hardware.
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As Elizabeth said, the ones in the PC and BWB are equivilent processing times. Folks don't normally want to PC tomatoes for a longer time. It is based on the "general" public. It is easier and faster to just add the acid. It would take a long time for the heat to penetrate the tomatoes in the pressure canner that most people would not want to do that. All the commercial tomatoes have citric acid added.Fruit fresh is only for color preservation, not for adding acidity. Do not use it instead. It must be citric acid or bottled lemon juice. The Minnesota guidelines are not safe to rely upon for tomatoes. One thing, most of us are not in Minnesota. Secondly, this is their own independent study. This is not the USDA standard testing.( The National Center For Home Food Preservation are the ones to rely upon. They are the leading authority when it comes to canning. Elizabeth Andress wrote the USDA guidelines.) Our soil will be different than theirs. If you grow the same tomatoes in your garden and I grow them in mine they ph level can be totally different. The canning times for the other veggies are based not only on ph, but density. It depends upon how the cells of the veggies absorb the heat in the pressure canner. Denser things take longer to process. For example, green beans in water will heat faster than a jar full of just packed tomatoes. Same reason the zucchini and tomato mixture is processed with no acid added. The juice from the tomatoes, the way they are diced, etc. all make a difference in heat penetration . Same reason tomato juice doesn't take as long to process as whole tomatoes. The juice is thinner and less dense. So, that is most of the reason behind tomatoes taking so long. We find that the crushed tomatoes result in the best texture, faster times, etc. There is a comparable time, but that is for tomatoes packed in water. Who wants to fill their jars full of water with tomatoes ??? If you raw pack them, then it does take 85 min. in the BWB canner. So, when we teach canning lessons we have them do the crushed tomato version from the NCFHFP. You crush and heat some of the tomatoes first, then keep adding the rest of the tomatoes to the pan and heat them all. The PC is supposed to have a higher nutrition value than the BWB canned tomatoes. If you think them too tart, some folks add a pinch of sugar. I don't even notice the tartness of the added acid to tomatoes. I hope I answered everything. If not, then ask me again. Things are CRAZY around here now ! Oh, and the thing about boiling them first before you eat them. Well, if botulism is there, think about you opening that jar, touching the lid with botulism on it. Then, maybe dripping it on the counter. Just not really that wise to use boiling as insurance in my personal opinion. Either you processed them correctly and they are safe or they are not safe. So, I suggest do it correctly and no risk involved.
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Agree - you don't want to reduce the liquid amount in hot sauces. It serves multiple purposes. Once the correct consistency is reached you can add citric acid to further acidify but it doesn't replace the liquids. A very general guideline is the label instructions given per size of jar used but whether that is sufficient for every food is an unknown. The more low acid pH of the food used the more citric acid required. Tomatoes are borderline low acid pH, peppers are more alkaline. Dave
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Reading their FAQ's, they do say many customers use it in canning and preserving, and jelly making (for what that's worth). The citric, malic and ascorbic acids in True Lemon are there, not because they added it, because they are naturally found in lemons. Oh, and about the soy, here's the quote from their website: "Ingredients: Crystallized Lemon [citric acid, malic acid, lemon oil, lemon juice, ascorbic acid (Vitamin C)]. Please note: While the above ingredient line reflects our most current production, there will still be product in grocery stores that is older and, therefore, will have a slightly different ingredient line than above. Our older formulas did contain soy which was used in the crystallization process. Although only a minuscule amount of soy was used, we still noted it since soy is an allergen. Our goal is to continue to improve all of our products so that they provide the freshest taste and the cleanest ingredient lines possible and our current ingredient line is reflective of our continuous quality improvement effort." So you might find some with soy still on your grocery store shelf. Linda Ziedrich has an interesting article on her blog regarding fresh vs. bottled lemon juice. The pH of fresh lemons (Meyer lemons excluded) is "...Even a single lemon can show variations in acidity, depending on when you do the testing and from what part of the fruit you take the juice. California lemons increase their acid levels almost 25 percent during curing - that is, in the weeks of storage after harvest. One study found that juice from the stem end of a lemon is slightly more acidic than juice from the blossom end, and another study found that juice from the core area is slightly more acidic than juice from the periphery. If all these variables make you think the home economists are right, think again. Although lemons vary in acidity, they generally donÃ¢ÂÂt vary much. The least acidic lemon found among all those tested in dozens of studies, an uncured Eureka from California, had an acid level of 4.53 percent. The most acidic uncured Eureka tested at 6.50 percent, and cured Eureka lemons ranged from 5.71 to 7.42 percent. Lisbon lemons from California varied less, from 4.79 to 4.86 percent acid before curing and 5.25 to 5.32 percent afterward. Florida lemons vary no more in their acidity than California lemons. In one Florida study, samples ranged from 5.16 to 6.41, in another from 5.24 to 5.92." Note: her numbers are not pH levels but percentages of acid. Bottom line, I'd use it. So far, I haven't seen it in my local store here in Podunk Junction, but I'll ask the store manager.
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Thanks, everyone, for the info and great ideas!!! jimster, I know I've stumbled onto references to sour salt in some old cookbooks and had no idea what it was. :p malna, I learned long ago of squirting lemon juice onto cantelope to bring out the sweetness, so I hope I remember to try citric acid on watermelon. I definitely prefer tart to sweet. :) grainlady, you've reminded me that I have a container of True Lemon somewhere in with my spices or pantry and I've never thought to use it. :( I checked your link to nuts.com.... awesome place! I'll have to try that Vinegar powder -- I LOVE vinegar! shirl, great idea on adding it to sour dough!!! dcarch, I did some research on invert/inverted sugar... I can't believe I've never heard of it before -- or if I did my mind acted like a sieve. That is very useful information! annie, I had read somewhere about using citric acid for cheese-making. I've never tried making cheese, but I definitely will now! wintercat, I love hummus and make it all the time. The citric acid will be great for the times I don't have quite enough fresh lemon juice. (or I could use that True Lemon that's hiding somewhere in my pantry. lol!) My biggest problem will be to remember to use it!!! I should probably post to ask about several odd spices and flavorings that my sister gives me... she says she loves them, so I ask how she uses them and her answer is always the same: "I use it in everything!". She probably does! :O)
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readinglady
16 years ago
You might be able to get it through your local pharmacy. A lot of times they can pick up things like citric acid through their suppliers and have it sent to the store with the rest of their order.

Also, I don't know where you're located, but if your grocery has a kosher food section, you'll find citric acid. It'll be called "sour salt" but that's citric acid. Or ask your grocery manager to order sour salt for you.

As Linda Lou said, ReaLemon will also work. If you can email the True Lemon company and find out the pH, that can be compared with citric acid.

Carol
ksrogers
16 years ago
As mentioned bottled lemon juice can be used instead of the citric. The site below sells a pound of citric for just $5.19. The also offer other acids used in wine making, as well as ascorbic acid which is used for color retention. I found a site where ascorbic was very cheap by the pound too. Buying in a larger amount saves you money. The True Lemon I see here is in small packets, with each equuivilen to a teaspoon of lemon juice. They tend to be clumped up inside the packets, as if excess moisture had been added. As to acidity, I doubt if even the maker can tell you if its accurate. I do know that a half teaspoon of citric acid is a LOT more in volume compared to the True Lemon packets size. A similar situation when I found a site that sells powdered vinegar. I asked them if the acidity was similar to regular vinegar, but they had no real answer, and said it was meant more for a flavoring. If you buy canning jars and supplies locally, Ball and Mrs. Wages also sell the citric and ascorbic acids. If your local suppler has none, ask them to order it for you. Sometimes you can find small jars of citric in the spice section, also known as 'sour salt'. Durkee sold that product many years ago too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Citric acid source
gardenbug_girl
15 years ago
Don't know if you live city or rural but down in FL I can get citric acid at the natural food store/organic store and at a store that sells medicinal herbs and essential oils. One used to be able to get it at Walgreens (I teach chemistry) but so did the drug trade.... so much for that!
Citric acid is sometimes also used to make "bath fizzers" so if you have a local store/person that makes their own soaps- just a thought. =) Good luck!
lil_half_pint
Original Author
15 years ago
Hi All,

I'm following up on my OP. I emailed "True Lemon", but they never responded. I also checked my local feed & seed and hardware store, but neither carry citric acid...

But I'm in luck! I found an online source called Herbalcom that was recommended on another forum. They carry citric acid in bulk - 1 lb for $3.25. They also carry tons of other herbs and spices. I stocked up on spices for my baking, and Turmeric capsules (powerful antioxidant.) I have paid $21.99 for 100 capsules at GNC, the only supplier I've found around here. Herbalcom had 300 capsules for $9.30. BIG savings. They ship everything for FREE with a handling fee of $6.25 no matter how much you buy.

Thanks again for all your suggestions.

Here is a link that might be useful: Herbalcom
ksrogers
15 years ago
True lemon is a granular mixture of lemon oil or lime oil, as well as a trace of citric acid. The amount of acid is hardly enough for a canning, as maybe 3 or more of the packets would be needed to acidify a single pint of tomatoes. Only problem is, its made to give a taste of lemon with less of an acidic characteristic. Way too expensive to use as a substitute for the real thing, or just plain citric. Suggest that you speak the store managers and ASK them to get you some. Even if they carry Ball jars, they can get Ball citric acid too. True Value is one that can help. Yes, the internet can save you big bucks sometimes.

Substituting 'True Lemon' for Citric Acid

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Linda_Lou

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Substituting 'True Lemon' for Citric Acid

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Linda_Lou

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