Acidity regulator: keep the category and substance together
Read the technological role without inventing a pH value, fruit source, or nutrition conclusion.
“Acidity regulator” names a function, while the words or code following it identify the substance used. Those two parts belong together. Saving only the category loses useful detail; saving only the substance can hide the role that the manufacturer actually declared.
Understand the scope of the term
The EU definition concerns altering or controlling acidity or alkalinity. See Annex I of Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008. The FDA ingredient table similarly groups ingredients used for pH control and acidulation. FDA functional examples.
Neither a category word nor a chemical name is a numerical pH reading. A package that lists an acidity regulator has not, by that fact alone, told you the finished food's measured acidity. Do not populate a pH field from a dictionary entry or from the taste you expect.
Copy an exact phrase before shortening it
For an invented example, consider “acidity regulator: citric acid.” Your record can have the exact phrase in one column, “acidity regulator” in a function column, and “citric acid” in a substance column. Keep the original phrase even if you also use a standardized spelling for search.
If instead the package uses an E number, retain every digit and suffix. Look up the complete code in the relevant market's official information. Do not replace an unreadable character with the most familiar additive name. An uncertain identification should stay uncertain until the package or another reliable product source resolves it.
Ask a question the label can answer
The list can help answer which ingredient is declared and what function is named. It cannot establish that the food contains a particular fruit, reveal the quantity used, or supply a complete nutrition assessment. Those questions require their own evidence.
When comparing two products, record the food type and preparation state as well. A concentrated drink base and a ready-to-drink beverage do not become directly comparable just because they share an acidity regulator. Use the package's nutrition values for nutrient comparisons and its preparation instructions for use. The ingredient note should explain a piece of vocabulary without expanding into claims the label does not support.