Is it ultra-processed?
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Sodium citrates (E331)

No. Sodium citrates (E331) is not one of the markers Open Food Facts uses to classify a food as processed or ultra-processed, so on its own it doesn't raise a product's NOVA group.

What it is

Sodium citrates are salts of citric acid, used to regulate acidity and, in processed cheese, to keep it smooth when it melts.

A product that contains it can still be ultra-processed for other reasons: 1,192 of the 1,211 products here that contain sodium citrates (E331) (98%) are in group 4 because of other ingredients or additives.

Function

Emulsifier
Emulsifiers are substances which make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases such as oil and water in a foodstuff.
Sequestrant
Sequestrants are substances which form chemical complexes with metallic ions.
Stabiliser
Stabilisers are substances which make it possible to maintain the physico-chemical state of a foodstuff; stabilisers include substances which enable the maintenance of a homogenous dispersion of two or more immiscible substances in a foodstuff, substances which stabilise, retain or intensify an existing colour of a foodstuff and substances which increase the binding capacity of the food, including the formation of cross-links between proteins enabling the binding of food pieces into re-constituted food.

Functional class definitions from the EU food additives regulation, via Open Food Facts.

More about sodium citrates (E331) on Wikidata

Where it turns up

Sodium citrates (E331) appears in 1,211 of the 40,000 products on this site (3%).

Products containing sodium citrates (E331)

Showing the 60 most popular of 1,211.

How the NOVA classification works