E330 - Citric acid
By the Daat team · Updated October 30, 2026
E330 is citric acid, and it is the most common additive in Israeli food: we found it in more products than any other.
Despite the name, industrial citric acid does not come from lemons. It is made by fermenting sugar with a mould called Aspergillus niger, a method that is about a century old.
It does several jobs at once: adds sourness, stops browning and helps preservatives work. That is why it is everywhere, from sauces and spreads to chocolate, cakes and drinks.
In Daat’s catalog we found E330 in 3,589 of 16,831 products (21.3%), mostly in sauces, spreads and salads and chocolate and sweets.
E330 at a glance
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Citric acid |
| Function | Acid / acidity regulator |
| Origin | Plant, mineral or synthetic |
| Vegan / vegetarian | Yes / Yes |
Is E330 vegan?
Yes. E330 has no animal source, so it suits both vegans and vegetarians.