Acidity Level of Citrus Fruits

Citrus fruits contain acids in them, by their very definition. Citrus fruits include grapefruit, kumquat, lemon, lime, mandarin, orange, tangerine and the tangelo.

Types of Acid

Citrus fruits contain both citric acid and ascorbic acid. Citric acid is considered a good detoxifier and has a sour taste. Citric acid can also be used as an eco-friendly cleaning solution. Ascorbic acid is also known as Vitamin C.

Measuring Acidity

Acid content is measured by pH. The "H" in pH refers to hydrogen found in a substance. The meaning of the "p" found in pH is under some debate, meaning possibly "potential", "power" or "negative logarithm". The pH is measured on a scale from 0 to 14, with "0" being the most acidic, "7" being neutral and "14" being the most alkaline, or acidic.

Most Acidic Citrus Fruits

The most acidic of the citrus fruits are: Tangerine: pH 3.90; grapefruit, pH 3.38; lime: pH 2.40; and lemon: pH 2.30.

Least Acidic Citrus Fruits

The least acidic of the citrus fruits are mandarin, pH 11.50; orange, pH 4.35; and kumquat: pH 3.95.

Considerations

The acid levels of fruits decrease as the fruit ages. The acid levels may also vary depending on the variety of the fruit and the growing conditions.

References

• pH Levels of a Variety of Foods

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Photo Credit

Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Carla Hufstedler

Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Paul Hart