Relating to, derived from, or found in citrus fruits, especially lemons and limes; containing citric acid.
From Latin citrus (citron tree) plus the suffix -ic. First used scientifically in the 1780s when citric acid was isolated and identified in citrus fruits.
Citric acid is in nearly every processed food—it's a preservative, flavor enhancer, and natural acid all in one, and it was originally extracted from lemon juice before chemists learned to make it from corn sugar using mold fermentation.
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