Wise consumers – and wise manufacturers – are aware of what additives are being put into foods, and whether there are any potential health risks. Very little in life is ever 100% safe, but food products need to be produced in a way that minimizes any possible risk. However, sometimes there can be controversies. Show Sodium benzoate is one of these controversial substances. While numerous studies and government safety bureaus have declared sodium benzoate in food to be safe, it none the less attracts some critical attention. Why is that? We have a quick breakdown. What Is Sodium Benzoate? Sodium benzoate is a salt-like preservative, made from sodium and benzoic acid, which has been used in numerous food products for decades. It has a slightly tart, bitter flavor – due to the acid – and is, therefore, most successful as a preservative in foods that are already a bit tart or bitter. You will find sodium benzoate in soft drinks, cider, salted products like margarine, salad dressings, fruit jams & jellies, pre-prepared vegetable salads, and many more. It is one of the most common preservatives in common use. Is Sodium Benzoate in food safe? Yes. Sodium benzoate itself is completely safe. It is Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by the American Food and Drug Administration, as well as receiving similar ratings from other governmental food regulation bodies around the world. When used in recommended quantities, it poses no direct health risk. Why do some sources say that sodium benzoate is dangerous? The issue is not what sodium benzoate is; it’s what sodium benzoate can become. When sodium benzoate is in the presence of ascorbic acid – that is, vitamin C – the chemicals may interact and create benzene. Benzene is recognized as a carcinogen and is particularly known for attacking bone marrow. This wouldn’t be an issue, except that during the 90s-00s, certain soft drinks were found to contain enough ascorbic acid to cause this reaction with sodium benzoate. When the matter was uncovered, the manufacturers of these drinks – of course – reformulated them to remove the risk. However, some damage was done to the reputation of sodium benzoate in the process. Today, any reputable food manufacturer takes pains to ensure it does not come into contact with ascorbic acid. FBC Industries Has Safe Reliable Food Additives We produce food additives used and trusted around the world, from only the most secure of sources. Contact us for a free sample of our products.
Sodium benzoate is a preservative that can be found in acidic foods such as salad dressings, carbonated drinks, jams, juices, and condiments. It is also found in mouthwashes, silver polishes, cough syrups, soaps, and shampoos. How can you avoid contact with Sodium benzoate?Avoid products that list any of the following names in the ingredients: • AI3-07835 • Antimol • Benzoan sodny • Benzoan sodny [Czech] • Benzoate of soda • Benzoate sodium • Benzoesaeure (na-salz) • Benzoesaeure (na-salz) [German] • CCRIS 3921 • Caswell No. 746 • EINECS 208-534-8 • EPA Pesticide Chemical Code 009103 • FEMA No. 3025 • FEMA Number 3025 • HSDB 696 • Natrium benzoicum • Sobenate • Sodium benzoate What are some products that may contain Sodium benzoate?
Body washesCleansersHousehold productsMouthwashesPet careShampoos/conditionersSoapsToothpastesAdditional resources and links for Sodium benzoate.To submit resources or links, please fill out the submission form at the top of this page. For additional information about products that might contain Sodium benzoate, visit the Household Products Database online at the United States National Library of Medicine. These lists are brief and provide just a few examples. They are not comprehensive. Product formulations also change frequently. Read product labels carefully and talk to your doctor if you have any questions. These are general guidelines. Talk to your doctor for more specific instructions. Sodium benzoate is the sodium salt of benzoic acid, widely used as a food preservative (with an E number of E211) and a pickling agent. It appears as a white crystalline chemical with the formula C6H5COONa.
Skeletal formula Ball-and-stick model of part of the crystal structure Ball-and-stick model of packing in the crystal structure Sodium benzoate E211, benzoate of soda CAS Number 3D model (JSmol)
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Chemical formula C7H5NaO2Molar mass 144.105 g·mol−1 Appearance white or colorless crystalline powder Odor odorless Density 1.497 g/cm3Melting point 410 °C (770 °F; 683 K)Solubility in water 62.65 g/100 mL (0 °C)62.84 g/100 mL (15 °C) 62.87 g/100 mL (30 °C) 74.2 g/100 mL (100 °C)[1]Solubility soluble in liquid ammonia, pyridine[1]Solubility in methanol 8.22 g/100 g (15 °C) 7.55 g/100 g (66.2 °C)[1]Solubility in ethanol 2.3 g/100 g (25 °C) 8.3 g/100 g (78 °C)[1]Solubility in 1,4-Dioxane 0.818 mg/kg (25 °C)[1]Pharmacology ATC code A16AX11 (WHO) Hazards GHS labelling:Pictograms Signal word WarningHazard statements Precautionary statements P305+P351+P338[2]NFPA 704 (fire diamond)
2 1 0 Flash point 100 °C (212 °F; 373 K)Autoignition LD50 (median dose) 4100 mg/kg (oral, rat)Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). Infobox references Sodium benzoate is commonly produced by the neutralization of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) with benzoic acid (C6H5COOH),[3] which is itself produced commercially by partial oxidation of toluene with oxygen. Many foods are natural sources of benzoic acid, its salts, and its esters.[4] Fruits and vegetables can be rich sources, particularly berries such as cranberry and bilberry. Other sources include seafood, such as prawns, and dairy products.[citation needed] Sodium benzoate can act as a food preservative. It is most widely used in acidic foods such as salad dressings (for example acetic acid in vinegar), carbonated drinks (carbonic acid), jams and fruit juices (citric acid), pickles (acetic acid), condiments, and frozen yogurt toppings. It is also used as a preservative in medicines and cosmetics.[5][6] Under these conditions it is converted into benzoic acid (E210), which is bacteriostatic and fungistatic. Benzoic acid is generally not used directly due to its poor water solubility. Concentration as a food preservative is limited by the FDA in the U.S. to 0.1% by weight.[7] Sodium benzoate is also allowed as an animal food additive at up to 0.1%, per the Association of American Feed Control Officials.[8] Sodium benzoate has been replaced by potassium sorbate in the majority of soft drinks in the United Kingdom.[9] Sodium benzoate was one of the chemicals used in 19th century industrialised food production that was investigated by Dr. Harvey W. Wiley with his famous 'Poison Squad' as part of the US Department of Agriculture. This led up to the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act, a landmark event in the early history of food regulation in the United States. In pharmaceuticalsSodium benzoate is used as a treatment for urea cycle disorders due to its ability to bind amino acids.[10][11] This leads to excretion of these amino acids and a decrease in ammonia levels. Recent research shows that sodium benzoate may be beneficial as an add-on therapy (1 gram/day) in schizophrenia.[12][13][14] Total Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale scores dropped by 21% compared to placebo. Sodium benzoate, along with phenylbutyrate, is used to treat hyperammonemia.[15][16] Sodium benzoate, along with caffeine, is used to treat postdural puncture headache, respiratory depression associated with overdosage of narcotics,[17][18] and with ergotamine to treat vascular headache.[19] Other usesSodium benzoate is also used in fireworks as a fuel in whistle mix, a powder that emits a whistling noise when compressed into a tube and ignited.[citation needed] The mechanism starts with the absorption of benzoic acid into the cell. If the intracellular pH falls to 5 or lower, the anaerobic fermentation of glucose through phosphofructokinase decreases sharply,[20] which inhibits the growth and survival of microorganisms that cause food spoilage. 1909 Heinz advertisement against sodium benzoate In the United States, sodium benzoate is designated as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the Food and Drug Administration.[21] The International Programme on Chemical Safety found no adverse effects in humans at doses of 647–825 mg/kg of body weight per day.[22][23] Cats have a significantly lower tolerance against benzoic acid and its salts than rats and mice.[24] The human body rapidly clears sodium benzoate by combining it with glycine to form hippuric acid which is then excreted.[23] The metabolic pathway for this begins with the conversion of benzoate by butyrate-CoA ligase into an intermediate product, benzoyl-CoA,[25] which is then metabolized by glycine N-acyltransferase into hippuric acid.[26] Association with benzene in soft drinksIn combination with ascorbic acid (vitamin C, E300), sodium benzoate and potassium benzoate may form benzene. In 2006, the Food and Drug Administration tested 100 beverages available in the United States that contained both ascorbic acid and benzoate. Four had benzene levels that were above the 5 ppb Maximum Contaminant Level set by the Environmental Protection Agency for drinking water.[27] Most of the beverages that tested above the limit have been reformulated and subsequently tested below the safety limit.[27] Heat, light and shelf life can increase the rate at which benzene is formed. HyperactivityResearch published in 2007 for the UK's Food Standards Agency (FSA) suggests that certain artificial colors, when paired with sodium benzoate, may be linked to hyperactive behavior. The results were inconsistent regarding sodium benzoate, so the FSA recommended further study.[28][29][30] The Food Standards Agency concluded that the observed increases in hyperactive behavior, if real, were more likely to be linked to the artificial colors than to sodium benzoate.[30] The report's author, Jim Stevenson from Southampton University, said: "The results suggest that consumption of certain mixtures of artificial food colours and sodium benzoate preservative are associated with increases in hyperactive behaviour in children. . . . Many other influences are at work but this at least is one a child can avoid."[30]
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