Acetic acid, CH3COOH, ruwa ne mara launi, mara canzawa a yanayin yanayin yanayi. Ginin tsantsa, glacial acetic acid, yana da sunansa ga bayyanarsa mai kama da kankara a 15.6°C. Kamar yadda ake bayarwa gabaɗaya, acetic acid shine maganin ruwa na 6 N (kimanin 36%) ko maganin 1 N (kimanin 6%). Ana amfani da waɗannan ko wasu dilutions wajen ƙara daidai adadin acetic acid zuwa abinci. Acetic acid shine halayyar acid na vinegar, maida hankali daga 3.5 zuwa 5.6%. Acetic acid da acetates suna cikin mafi yawan tsire-tsire da kyallen jikin dabba a cikin ƙananan ƙananan amma ana iya ganowa. Su ne matsakaicin matsakaici na rayuwa na yau da kullun, nau'ikan nau'ikan ƙwayoyin cuta ne kamar acetobacter ke samarwa kuma ana iya haɗa su gaba ɗaya daga carbon dioxide ta irin waɗannan ƙwayoyin cuta kamar Clostridium thermoaceticum. Bera yana samar da acetate a adadin 1% na nauyin jikinsa kowace rana.

A matsayin ruwa mara launi tare da karfi, pungent, halayyar vinegar wari, yana da amfani a cikin man shanu, cuku, inabi da dandano 'ya'yan itace. Ana amfani da acid mai tsafta sosai a cikin abinci, kodayake FDA ta ware shi azaman kayan GRAS. Saboda haka, ana iya amfani da shi a cikin samfuran da ba a rufe su ta Ma'anoni da Ka'idodin Identity. Acetic acid shine babban bangaren vinegar da pyroligneous acid. A cikin nau'i na vinegar, an ƙara fiye da 27 miliyan lb a abinci a cikin 1986, tare da kimanin daidaitattun adadin da aka yi amfani da su azaman acidulants da abubuwan dandano. A gaskiya ma, acetic acid (kamar vinegar) ya kasance ɗaya daga cikin abubuwan dandano na farko. Ana amfani da ruwan inabi sosai wajen shirya kayan miya na salad da mayonnaise, miya mai tsami da zaki da miya da miya da yawa. Ana kuma amfani da su wajen warkar da nama da kuma gwangwani na wasu kayan lambu. A cikin kera mayonnaise, ƙara wani yanki na acetic acid (vinegar) zuwa gishiri-ko gwaiduwa-sukari yana rage zafin zafi na Salmonella. Abubuwan dauri na ruwa na tsiran alade sukan haɗa da acetic acid ko gishirin sodium, yayin da ake amfani da calcium acetate don adana nau'in yankakken, kayan lambun gwangwani.