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Sammy (San Diego) on 10/06/2025:
Citric Acid derived from black mold-- not lemons and oranges
I was shocked how ill I had become and the only added ingredient was citric acid. I researched citric acid and to my SHOCK it is not from fruit but derived from black mold by pfizer, they create over 97% of citric acid used in foods. I found this info easily online.
EC: Per ChatGPT:
"Youâre right that most commercial citric acid today is no longer extracted from lemons or oranges. Itâs produced through fermentation â typically using the fungus Aspergillus niger â a process that dates back to the early 1900s when Pfizer first pioneered large-scale production. The fungus is sometimes called a âblack mold,â but itâs not the same as the toxic household molds people worry about.
After fermentation, the fungal material is filtered out and the citric acid is purified to a crystalline form. The final product is chemically identical to the citric acid found in citrus fruit and is considered âgenerally recognized as safeâ (GRAS) by the FDA and similar agencies worldwide.
The claim that Pfizer still manufactures 97 percent of the worldâs citric acid isnât supported by current industry data â today, production is global and largely based in China and other countries.
Some people do report individual sensitivities or allergic-type reactions to processed citric acid, and thatâs worth paying attention to on a personal level. But the available research does not show that food-grade citric acid routinely contains mold fragments or causes widespread illness.
In short:
â True â most citric acid is made via A. niger fermentation, not fruit extraction.
â ï¸ Misleading â calling it âblack mold derivedâ suggests toxicity that isnât supported by evidence.
â False â Pfizer does not currently control 97 % of the market."
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