my son is allergic to citrus (among other things) & i am trying to find something to replace lemon/citrus juice & rind in recipes. it is an important ingredient in so many recipes both savoury & sweet.
any ideas?
It's the acid that is needed in many recipes calling for lemon juice. You can often substitute vinegar for citrus, but will have to try the recipe to be sure it works!
As has been mentioned, vinegar will replace the acid. If you need the lemon flavor, try using some lemon balm (Melissa officinalis). It is very easy to grow and the lemon flavor is intense. It can be dried and used in the off season.
I do not know what part of the citrus is your child allergic to?. It is the citric acid, the essential oils in the peel , the naringin, etc. That will be a complicated task to determine and you are unlikely to use your child as a guinea pig for these experiments. Trying to replace the lemon juice with other acids such as vinegar (acetic acid) and tartaric acid, lactic acid will result in different sensory profile. The nearest substitute for citric with the typical fruity tang is malic acid. it is Found in apples How about apple juice and apple concentrate? Is he not allergic to it.? Unfortunately there is no such thing as apple rind that provides the essential oils like citrus. You may have to compensate that by adding other flavoring agents that is compatible with the cookery items you are planning to prepare. Roy
that was my first thought. i'll give it a try!
unfortunately he has severe food allergies and cannot have any citric acid or fruit derivative.
you are right. i won't be using him as a guinea pig! LOL! seriously, he has severe multiple allergies, so we avoid all fruit derivatives (as well as alot of other things)
malic acid can also be taken from other fruits & the source is not always known. although he is ok with apples, he is allergic to most other fruits.
fresh apple juice is fine. i will give this a try!
thanks for your suggestions!
I don't mean to cause trouble here, but allergic responses are triggered by very large molecules, generally proteins. I find it nearly impossible to believe that citric acid would be an allergen. I would also doubt that commercially available citric acid would come from citrus fruit. According to the following article, since about 1923, citric acid has been produced in a fermentation process using Aspergillus niger and dairy whey..
InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.