Label Able: Malic Acid?

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Label Able: Malic Acid?

April 28, 2008

Another day of food shopping, another weird ingredient. What in the world is malic acid? I found it on the label of Dannon Fruit on the Bottom yogurt.

It doesn't sound healthy to me, but I may just be thinking this because it also contains high-fructose corn syrup – an ingredient I don't like to find in my yogurt. To find out, just read more.

I found it interesting that this food additive is centuries old. Malic acid was first isolated from apple juice in 1785 by Carl Wilhelm Scheele. He decided to name it "acide malique," which comes from the Latin word for apple, mālum. Malic acid is actually a natural compound that's found in tart or sour foods. Besides apples, it's also found in cherries, tomatoes, and grapes, and it can be found in wine. It's used as a food additive to give foods and candies a tart flavor. Sometimes it's added along with citric acid to foods such as Jolly Ranchers, SweetTarts, and salt and vinegar potato chips. It may also be added to dairy products, processed fruit, condensed milk, soups, beer, malt beverages, and processed meat. Be warned — if you eat too much, it could irritate your mouth.

12 Comments

2 years 31 weeks

Klum makes choking up phlegm sounds by Light and Fit yoghurt. Yoghurt does that to alot of people.

mcjuga 5 years 2 weeks

Once you start eating natural yogurt, all the light and fit yogurts taste like disgusting chemicals. If you want the super creamy texture of full fat yogurt, but not the fat, I highly recommend the Greek yogurt, Fage 0%. It's so good, and easy to flavor yourself with fruit/honey/sugar/sweetener. So much better for you than the fake stuff and has all the good bacteria that is missing from a lot of processed yogurt.

laura6567 5 years 2 weeks

Yeah I prefer Fruit on the Bottom to Light n Fit, just because I can't stand the taste of splenda.

LaurenG22 5 years 2 weeks

I eat Light n Fit like its my job... but it has splenda in it, which I am sure is bad too.

nikkipez 5 years 3 weeks

yeah i cant stand HFCS in my food let alone yogurt

orangeflowers 5 years 3 weeks

Wow and to think I just bought a case of these at BJs, I guess I won't anymore.

Spectra 5 years 3 weeks

I buy the Light and Fit stuff too...it's yummy! Lots of flavors like citric acid, malic acid, etc., are from fruits and are very natural. People forget that compounds like say, methyl salicylate are naturally occurring compounds (methyl salicylate is peppermint flavor). Chemistry goes WAY beyond the lab, you know :)

uptown_girl 5 years 3 weeks

YES to Cascade Fresh!! I LOOOOVE it. It is the fruit on the bottom kind, but in a totally better way. It tastes so much more natural than other yogurts! After eating it exclusively, then eating one of the "other" kinds, it's kinda weird how you feel like you are eating a substance now, and no longer eating yogurt! Queen4124, have you tried the Vanilla? OMG... it's incredible with fresh fruit like blueberries & strawberries!

uptown_girl 5 years 3 weeks

YES to Cascade Fresh!! I LOOOOVE it. It is the fruit on the bottom kind, but in a totally better way. It tastes so much more natural than other yogurts! After eating it exclusively, then eating one of the "other" kinds, it's kinda weird how you feel like you are eating a substance now, and no longer eating yogurt!Queen4124, have you tried the Vanilla? OMG... it's incredible with fresh fruit like blueberries & strawberries!

queen4124 5 years 3 weeks

i started eating cascade fresh yogurts in the attempt to be more healthy and absolutely love them. they don't have HFCS and taste great. i ate some dannon and yoplait with HFCS and you can totally taste the difference, there is a fake sweet taste to the dannon and yoplait, and something i just can't explain. i'm keeping my cascade fresh.