Market Insight
12 December 2025
Fertilizers
Citric acid monohydrate is widely known in the food and beverage world for adding tartness, balancing flavors, and helping preserve freshness. It appears as a white, crystalline powder with a naturally sour taste, formed when citric acid binds with one water molecule (C₆H₈O₇·H₂O).
While its presence in sodas, juices, and packaged foods is familiar, its role in agriculture is expanding rapidly. Farmers and fertilizer manufacturers are recognizing how its natural acidity and chelating abilities improve nutrient availability in soil. As agriculture shifts toward sustainable and efficient practices, citric acid monohydrate is stepping out of the food aisle and into the field.
Citric acid monohydrate forms clear or white crystals that dissolve easily in water. As a tricarboxylic acid, it contains three carboxyl groups that give it strong acidity and the ability to bind metals. It softens around 75°C and melts near 100°C, losing its water content when exposed to dry heat above 40–50°C.
Its chelating behavior comes from its carboxyl groups, which attach to metal ions such as iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium, and manganese. By forming complexes with these nutrients, citric acid keeps them soluble and available to plants instead of letting them become trapped in the soil.
This improves nutrient mobility, supports healthier roots, and helps correct micronutrient deficiencies, especially in alkaline soils where nutrients often become locked away.
Oxalic acid: Stronger but riskier, often too aggressive for soil systems.
Humic and fulvic acids: Great for long-term soil health, but slower and less precise for targeted nutrition.
Tartaric acid: Similar acidity but weaker chelation, making it less useful in fertilizers.
Citric acid is becoming a valuable tool in fertilizer formulations thanks to its ability to unlock nutrients, maintain solution stability, and support crop feeding in multiple ways.
By binding metals like Fe, Zn, Mn, Ca, and Mg into stable complexes, citric acid prevents them from becoming insoluble in soil. This directly improves plant uptake, especially in soils with high pH or heavy clay content where micronutrient availability is often limited.
In many soils, nutrients like calcium phosphate quickly become insoluble. Citric acid dissolves these compounds and prevents them from re-forming, boosting the effectiveness of applied fertilizers. It also reduces scale buildup in irrigation systems, keeping lines and nozzles clear.
Citric acid provides a mild acidic buffering effect, helping maintain a pH range of 6.5–7, ideal for most crops. This supports nutrient uptake while avoiding the harsh acidification caused by some stronger acids.
In liquid fertilizers, citric acid keeps micronutrients dissolved and prevents sedimentation, ensuring even nutrient distribution through drip and fertigation systems.
In foliar sprays, it improves metal absorption on leaf surfaces and keeps nutrients from crystallizing once sprayed.
Small amounts of citric acid around the seed can free up phosphorus and micronutrients in the rhizosphere. This supports faster germination, stronger early root growth, and better seedling.
Hydroponic growers use citric acid to fine-tune nutrient solution pH and keep minerals like calcium and magnesium from precipitating. This stability reduces maintenance and ensures nutrient recipes stay consistent.
- Grains: Improved phosphorus and micronutrient uptake, stronger tillering, better grain fill.
- Vegetables & fruits: Enhanced Calcium and Magnesium absorption for firmer fruits, greener foliage, and reduced disorders like blossom-end rot.
Citric acid monohydrate is experiencing a surge in agricultural demand as sustainable farming becomes more mainstream. Farmers and fertilizer producers are drawn to its biodegradability, natural sourcing, and compatibility with organic farming standards.
Because it’s biodegradable and commonly produced through microbial fermentation, citric acid aligns well with organic and regenerative approaches. It reduces dependency on synthetic chelating agents, making it a cleaner and more environmentally friendly option.
- Asia-Pacific: Holds over 40% of global demand, with China as the largest producer and India rapidly increasing usage.
- Europe: Driven by clean-label regulations and pressure to adopt natural inputs.
- North America: Sees steady growth due to rising interest in soil health and nutrient efficiency.
- Growing awareness of soil degradation and the need for remediation
- Rising micronutrient deficiencies in soils worldwide
- Expansion of organic and regenerative agriculture
- Increasing need for efficient nutrient management in high-value crops
The role of citric acid monohydrate in fertilizers is expected to grow significantly over the coming years, fueled by agriculture’s shift toward precision nutrition and sustainability.
More fertilizer formulations will incorporate citric acid for controlled micronutrient delivery. Innovations like nano-chelated metals could further improve uptake efficiency, especially for greenhouse and high-value crops.
Citric acid naturally fits into organic systems as a biodegradable, non-toxic additive. It supports microbial life, root growth, and nutrient cycling—key pillars of regenerative farming.
With projected growth of 5–7% CAGR, agriculture is expected to surpass food and beverage uses by 2030 in market value. Lower-cost biotechnology pathways and AI-driven fertilizer blending will help scale adoption, especially for site-specific nutrient management.
Citric acid monohydrate may be best known in the food industry, but its influence in agriculture is accelerating. Its ability to chelate nutrients, stabilize fertilizers, and support plant health positions it as a key ingredient for the next generation of sustainable fertilizers. As farming moves toward more precise and eco-friendly practices, citric acid is becoming a reliable partner in improving soil health, boosting yields, and supporting long-term agricultural resilience.
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