Malic Acid and Its Many Uses

Malic acid, an organic compound made by all living organisms as part of the citric acid cycle, is crystalline in structure, water soluble, and colorless. Malic acid was first isolated from apple juice in 1785 by Carl Wilhelm Scheele, a Swedish chemist. This chemical gets its name from this event, as the Latin word for apple is malum. Malic acid plays an important role in giving foods, specifically fruits, their pleasant sour taste. Malic acid is commonly used as a food additive in foods like potato chips and candy. Instead of using citric acid to create the sour taste, candies that require a more intense sour flavor use malic acid. Salt and vinegar flavored chips use malic acid to produce that appealing tart taste.

One of the major health benefits that malic acid offers the human body is that it boosts your metabolism and the ability for your body to produce energy. Without sufficient levels of malic acid in your body, you would age quicker because your body loses its ability to produce energy efficiently. This chemical also helps muscle soreness and prevents muscle fatigue. For this reason, malic acid is used to treat the intense muscle pain caused by fibromyalgia.

In addition, malic acid is found in many hygiene and skin care products. In mouthwash, this chemical aids in dental hygiene by acting as an oral antiseptic and encouraging saliva production. When applied to skin, malic acid tightens pores, reduces wrinkles, and evens tone.

As a leading chemical supply company in Orlando, Bell Chem offers fast delivery of hundreds of chemical products including many food and reagent-grade products like malic acid. With an abundance of world-class seaports within just a few short hours, our Orlando chemical supply company is positioned as the “go to” supplier on a national, as well as international level. Give us a call today at 407-339-BELL (2355) to place an order!