In 1917, American food chemist James Currie discovered certain strains of the mold "Aspergillus niger" could be efficient citric acid producers, and the pharmaceutical company Pfizer began industrial-level production using this technique two years later, followed by Citrique Belge in 1929.
Pri segrevanju nad 175 ° C, se razgradi s pomočjo ogljikovega dioksida in vode (glej decarboxylation).