Tartaric acid, citric acid and malic acid are the most common organic acids used in food. In general, food grade tartaric acid is used as an acidulant to provide a tart taste for wines, beverages, juices, marmalades, ice cream, sour confectionery, gelatin desserts, jams and jellies.

Why is Tartaric acid used in wine?
Tartaric acid is commonly added in wine making as the natural acidity of grapes is not enough, such as in red, white, and fruit wines. It is the primary acid that influences the taste, balances color, tannins and sweetness, and maintains chemical stability which are important to the mouthfeel in fermentation, barrel aging process and finished wines. Also, it acts as a preservative which prevents the growth of undesirable spoilage bacteria by lowering PH.

Tartaric acid’s solubility in wine varies according to the temperature. It dissociates into two forms, bitartrate (HT–, mainly present at wine pH) and tartrate (T-2). So it presents three forms in wine together with tartaric acid (H2T). Different percentages of these three forms in different pHs.

Usually, at room temperature, it binds with potassium in wine to form the crystalline tartrate – cream of tartar. Maybe you have the experience of finding these small crystals on the cork, or bottom in the wine.

The Raw Material for producing Emulsifiers
It reacts with fatty acid and glycerol to produce the following three food emulsifiers:

Tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (TATEM, E472d)
Mono- and diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (DATEM, E472e)
Mixed acetic and tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (MATEM, E472f)
Cosmetics
It functions as a buffering, and masking agent in cosmetic and personal care products. (3)

Pharmaceutical
It can be used as an excipient and used to improve the taste of the effervescent tablets.