Sodium Citrate is made from the sodium salt of citric acid. It has a saline, mildly tart flavor and is a mild alkali.
It is a common ingredient in Bratwursts, ice creams, jams, carbonated beverages and wine. It is also an emulsifier that can help reduce the acidity of food and drink products and it can stabilize emulsified oils.
This is the ingredient that makes Velveeta cheese melt so well! You can make your own super-melty cheese sauces with this easy to use & inexpensive ingredient. Just whisk it into a liquid and blend it in the cheese over heat!
Then you can easily cool & reheat your super-melty cheese sauces, mold or cut it for serving, and add it to your favorite macaroni and cheese. Sodium citrate helps your cheese stay together as it melts so it will taste creamy and smooth.
Sodium Citrate can be used with citric acid to create a buffer for reducing the acidity of foods and drinks. It is commonly used in modernist cooking with acidic ingredients as part of a process called spherification.
In the body, Sodium citrate is metabolized to bicarbonate and excreted in the urine. It plays a role as an intermediate in the citric acid cycle, which is responsible for giving fruits and vegetables their sour or sweet taste.
Sodium citrate is also an anticoagulant for blood. This is due to the fact that it chelates calcium which reduces the tendency of blood to clot.
