Sodium benzoate

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Sodium benzoate

Sodium benzoate (E211), also called benzoate of soda, has the chemical formula

Chemical formula

A chemical formula is a way of expressing information about the atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound, and how the relationship between those atoms changes in chemical reactions....
NaC₆H₅CO₂. It is the sodium salt of benzoic acid

Benzoic acid

Benzoic acid, C7H6O2 , is a colorless crystalline solid and the simplest aromatic carboxylic acid. The name derived from gum benzoin, which was for a long time the only source for benzoic acid....
and exists in this form when dissolved in water

Water

Water is a common chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of life. In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or States of matter, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor or steam....
. It can be produced by reacting sodium hydroxide

Sodium hydroxide

Sodium hydroxide , also known as lye, caustic soda and sodium hydrate, is a caustic metallic Base . Sodium hydroxide forms a strong alkaline solution when dissolved in a solvent such as water, however, only the hydroxide ion is basic....
with benzoic acid

Benzoic acid

Food preservation

Food preservation is the process of treating and handling food to stop or greatly slow down spoilage caused or accelerated by micro-organisms....
. It is bacteriostatic

Bacteriostatic agent

Bacteriostatic antibiotics limit the growth of bacterium by interfering with bacterial protein production, DNA replication, or other aspects of bacterial cellular metabolism....
and fungistat

Fungistat

Fungistat is a chemical or biological agent that stops fungi from reproducing.See also fungistatic agents as lactoferrin....
ic under acidic conditions. It is used most prevalently in acidic foods such as salad dressings (vinegar

Vinegar

Vinegar is an acidic liquid processed from the fermentation of ethanol in a process that yields its key ingredient, acetic acid . It also may come in a diluted form....
), carbonated drinks (carbonic acid

Carbonic acid

Carbonic acid has the Molecular formula H2CO3. It is also a name sometimes given to solutions of carbon dioxide in water , which contain small amounts of H2CO3....
), jams and fruit juices (citric acid

Citric acid

Citric acid is a weak organic chemistry acid, and it is a natural preservative and is also used to add an acidic, or sour, taste to foods and soft drinks....
), pickles

Pickling

Pickling, also known as brining or corning, is the process of preserving food by Anaerobic organism fermentation in brine , to produce lactic acid bacteria, or marination and storing it in an acid solution, usually vinegar ....
(vinegar

Vinegar

Vinegar is an acidic liquid processed from the fermentation of ethanol in a process that yields its key ingredient, acetic acid . It also may come in a diluted form....
), and condiment

Condiment

In the United Kingdom, a condiment used to be confined to salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar. Use of the term condiment has broadened and now is generally considered to be any prepared edible Chemical substance or mixture, often Food preservation or Fermentation , that is added in relatively small quantities, most often at the table...
s.

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Uses

Sodium benzoate is a preservative

Food preservation

Food preservation is the process of treating and handling food to stop or greatly slow down spoilage caused or accelerated by micro-organisms....
. It is bacteriostatic

Bacteriostatic agent

Bacteriostatic antibiotics limit the growth of bacterium by interfering with bacterial protein production, DNA replication, or other aspects of bacterial cellular metabolism....
and fungistat

Fungistat

Vinegar

Carbonic acid

Citric acid

Citric acid is a weak organic chemistry acid, and it is a natural preservative and is also used to add an acidic, or sour, taste to foods and soft drinks....
), pickles

Pickling

Vinegar

Vinegar is an acidic liquid processed from the fermentation of ethanol in a process that yields its key ingredient, acetic acid . It also may come in a diluted form....
), and condiment

Condiment

Mouthwash

Mouthwash or mouth rinse is a product used for oral hygiene. Antiseptic and anti-plaque mouth rinse claims to kill the plaque causing Dental caries, gingivitis, and bad breath....
and silver polish. It can also be found in cough syrups like Robitussin

Robitussin

Robitussin is a line of common cold and cough medicines produced by Wyeth-Ayerst. It was originally produced by AH Robins of Richmond, Virginia....
. Sodium benzoate is declared on a product label as 'sodium benzoate' or E211.

It is also used in fireworks

Fireworks

A firework is classified as a low explosive material pyrotechnics device used primarily for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display....
as a fuel in whistle mix

Whistle mix

Whistle mix is a general term to refer to any pyrotechnic composition that emits a whistling sound when pressed into a tube and ignited. It is used as a rocket propellant, particularly in small bottle rockets....
, a powder which imparts a whistling noise when compressed into a tube and ignited.

It is found naturally in cranberries, prunes, greengage plum

Plum

A plum or gage is a drupe tree in the genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus. The subgenus is distinguished from other subgenera in the shoots having a terminal bud and the side buds solitary , the flowers being grouped 1-5 together on short stems, and the fruit having a groove running down one side, and a smooth stone....
s, cinnamon

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a small evergreen tree 10?15 metres tall, belonging to the family Lauraceae, and is native to Sri Lanka.The leaf are ovate-oblong in shape, 7?18 cm long....
, ripe clove

Clove

Cloves are the aromatic dried flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae. Cloves are native to Indonesia and used as a spice in cuisine all over the world....
s, and apple

APPLE

This article is about the satellite APPLE. For the fruit apple, see Apple. For other uses see Apple .The Ariane Passenger PayLoad Experiment , was an experimental communication satellite with a C-Band transponder launched by Indian Space Research Organisation satellite on June 19, 1981 by Ariane 1, a launch vehicle of the European Spac...
s. Concentration as a preservative is limited by the FDA in the U.S. to 0.1% by weight though natural cranberries and other fruit varieties contain levels of sodium benzoate approaching this limit. The International Programme on Chemical Safety found no adverse effects in humans at doses of 647-825 mg/kg of body weight per day.

Cat

Cat

The cat , also known as the Domestication cat or house cat to distinguish it from other Felinae and Felidae, is a small predationy carnivore species of crepuscular mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and its ability to hunt vermin, snakes, scorpions, and other unwanted household pests....
s have a significantly lower tolerance against benzoic acid and its salts than rat

Rat

Rats are various medium sized, long-tailed rodents of the Family Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus....
s and mice

Mouse

A mouse is a small animal that belongs to one of numerous species of rodents. The best known mouse species is the House Mouse . It is also a popular pet....
. Sodium benzoate is, however, allowed as an animal food additive at up to 0.1%, according to AFCO's official publication.

Mechanism of food preservation

The mechanism starts with the absorption of benzoic acid into the cell. If the intracellular pH

pH is a measure of the Acid or Base of a solution. It is defined as the cologarithm of the Activity of dissolved hydrogen ions . Hydrogen ion activity coefficients cannot be measured experimentally, so they are based on theoretical calculations....
changes to 5 or lower, the anaerobic fermentation

Fermentation (food)

Fermentation in food processing typically refers to the conversion of sugar to alcohol using yeast under anaerobic conditions. A more general definition of fermentation is the chemical conversion of carbohydrates into alcohols or acids....
of glucose

Glucose

Glucose , a monosaccharide also known as grape sugar, blood sugar, or corn sugar, is a very important carbohydrate in biology....
through phosphofructokinase

Phosphofructokinase

Phosphofructokinase-1 is the most important regulatory enzyme of glycolysis. It is an allosteric enzyme made of 4 subunits and controlled by several activators and Enzyme inhibitors....
is decreased by 95%.

Safety and health

In combination with ascorbic acid

Ascorbic acid

Ascorbic acid is a sugar acid with antioxidant properties. Its appearance is white to light-yellow crystals or powder. It is water-soluble. The L-enantiomer of ascorbic acid is commonly known as vitamin C....
(vitamin C, E300), sodium benzoate and potassium benzoate

Potassium benzoate

Potassium benzoate , the potassium salt of benzoic acid, is a food preservative that inhibits the growth of mold, yeast and some bacterium. It works best in low-pH products, below 4.5, where it exists as benzoic acid....
may form benzene

Benzene

Benzene, or benzol, is an organic compound chemical compound and a known carcinogen with the molecular formula Carbon6Hydrogen6....
, a known carcinogen

Carcinogen

The term carcinogen refers to any substance, radionuclide or radiation that is an agent directly involved in the promotion of cancer or in the increase of its propagation....
. Heat, light and shelf life can affect the rate at which benzene is formed.

Professor Peter Piper of the University of Sheffield

University of Sheffield

The University of Sheffield is a research university, located in Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. Ranked within the World's top 100 Universities, it is one of the original Red brick universities and a member of the Russell Group....
claims that sodium benzoate by itself can damage and inactivate vital parts of DNA in a cell's mitochondria

Mitochondrion

In cell biology, a mitochondrion is a membrane-enclosed organelle found in most eukaryote cell . These organelles range from 0.5–10 micrometers in diameter....
. Mitochondria consume oxygen to generate ATP

Adenosine triphosphate

This article is about the chemical used by cells as an energy carrier. For other uses, see ATP .Adenosine-5'-triphosphate is a multifunctional nucleotide, and plays an important role in cell biology as a coenzyme that is the "molecule unit of currency" of intracellular energy transfer....
, the body's energy currency. If they are damaged due to disease, the cell malfunctions and may enter apoptosis

Apoptosis

Apoptosis is the process of programmed cell death that may occur in multicellular organisms. Programmed Cell death involves a series of biochemical events leading to a characteristic cell Morphology and death, in more specific terms, a series of biochemical events that lead to a variety of morphological changes, including Bleb , changes...
. There are many illnesses now tied to DNA damage, including Parkinson's

Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that often impairs the sufferer's motor skills and speech, as well as other functions....
and other neurodegenerative diseases, but above all, the aging process in general.

Hyperactivity

Research published in 2007 for the UK's Food Standards Agency

Food Standards Agency

The Food Standards Agency is a non-ministerial government department of the Her Majesty's Government. It is responsible for protecting public health in relation to food throughout the United Kingdom and is led by an appointed board that is intended to act in the public interest....
(FSA) suggests that certain artificial colours, when paired with sodium benzoate (E211) may be linked to hyperactive behaviour. The results were inconsistent regarding sodium benzoate, so the FSA recommended further study. .

Professor Jim Stevenson from Southampton University, and author of the report, said: "This has been a major study investigating an important area of research. 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.

"However, parents should not think that simply taking these additives out of food will prevent hyperactive disorders. We know that many other influences are at work but this at least is one a child can avoid."

Two mixtures of additives were tested in the research:

Mix A:

Sunset yellow (E110
E110

E110 may refer to:* Sunset Yellow FCF, a food colourant with E number E119* E110, a medical form for international road hauliers, replaced by the European Health Insurance Card...
)
Tartrazine (E102)
Carmoisine (E122)
Ponceau 4R (E124)
Sodium benzoate (E211)

Mix B:

Sunset yellow (E110
E110

E110 may refer to:* Sunset Yellow FCF, a food colourant with E number E119* E110, a medical form for international road hauliers, replaced by the European Health Insurance Card...
)
Quinoline yellow (E104)
Carmoisine (E122)
Allura red (E129)
Sodium benzoate (E211)

Sodium benzoate was included in both mixes, but the effects observed were not consistent. The Food Standards Agency therefore considers that, if real, the observed increases in hyperactive behaviour were more likely to be linked to one or more of the specific colours tested.

On 10 April 2008, the Foods Standard Agency called for a voluntary removal of the colours (but not sodium benzoate) by 2009. In addition, it recommended that there should be action to phase them out in food and drink in the European Union (EU) over a specified period.

In response to consumer insistence on a more natural product and E211's links to DNA damage and ADHD, the Coca Cola Company is in the process of phasing Sodium Benzoate out of Diet Coke. The company has stated that it plans to remove E211 from its other products — including Sprite

Sprite (soft drink)

Sprite is a transparent, lemon-lime flavored, caffeine free soft drink, produced by the Coca-Cola Company. It was introduced to the United States in 1961....
, Fanta

Fanta

Fanta is a global brand of fruit-flavored soft drinks from the The Coca-Cola Company. There are over International availability of Fanta, however most of them are only available in certain countries....
, and Oasis

Oasis (drink)

Oasis is a non-carbonated bottled soft drink, which is a product of the Coca-Cola Company. It originated in France and was acquired by the company in 1990....
— as soon as a satisfactory alternative is discovered.

Other health effects

People who suffer from asthma, or who have recurrent urticaria

Urticaria

Urticaria are a kind of skin rash notable for dark red, raised, itchy bumps. Hives are frequently caused by allergic reactions, however there are many non-allergic causes....
, may be sensitive to sodium benzoate and have allergic reactions. Sodium benzoate and tartrazine

Tartrazine

Tartrazine is a synthetic lemon Azo compound dye used as a food coloring. It is water soluble and has a maximum absorbance in an aqueous solution at 427?2 nanometer....
(E102) exacerbate the condition in between 10 and 40 percent of patients with chronic urticaria, and possibly a higher proportion still of aspirin sensitive individuals.

External links

Andersen A. Int J Toxicol 2006;25 Suppl 1:11-27.