Total Acidity on a Small Scale

The refreshing taste of fresh fruit juices is due to a complex blend of flavors and fragrances. Fruit juices get their sweet taste from sugars, primarily fructose and glucose, and their sour or tart taste from acids, such as citric acid and tartaric acid. The balance of sugar to acid content is one of the main factors responsible for the appealing taste of fruit juices—too much sugar, and the juice will taste bland, but too much acid, and the juice will taste sour. In this activity, the “total acidity” of fruit juices will be determined by titration with sodium hydroxide.