Sodium benzoate

Sodium benzoate
Chemical name	Sodium benzoate
Other names	E211, benzoate of soda
Chemical formula	C₆H₅COONa
Molecular mass	144.1053 g mol⁻¹
CAS number	^*
Density	1.44 g cm⁻³
Melting point	>300 °C
Boiling point	N/A
SMILES	O=C(^)C1=CC=CC=C1.^
Chemical infobox

Sodium benzoate (E211), also called benzoate of soda, has chemical formula ₆₅. It is the sodium salt of benzoic acid and exists in this form when dissolved in water. It can be produced by reacting sodium hydroxide with benzoic acid.

Uses

As a food additive it is used as a preservative, effectively killing most yeasts, bacteria and fungi. Sodium benzoate is effective only in acidic conditions (pH < 3.6) making its use most prevalent in foods such as preserves, salad dressings (vinegar), carbonated drinks (carbon dioxide), jams (citric acid), fruit juices (citric acid), and chinese food sauces (soy, mustard, and duck). It is also found in alcohol-based mouthwash. More recently, sodium benzoate has become apparent in many soft drinks, including Sprite, Sunkist and Dr Pepper. It can be identified in soft drinks by 'sodium benzoate' or E211. Health officials warn that excessive consumption can seriously damage your health

It is found naturally in cranberries, prunes, greengage plums, cinnamon, ripe cloves, and apples. Concentration as a preservative is limited by the FDA in the U.S. to 0.1% by weight though organically grown cranberries and prunes can conceivably contain levels exceeding this limit. Some believe the limit is 0.1% because larger amounts are poisonous. However, the International Programme on Chemical Safety found no adverse effects in humans at doses of 647-825 mg/kg of body weight per day.^{^*}

Cats have a significantly lower tolerance against benzoic acid and its salts than rats and mice.^{^*} Because of this the use of sodium benzoate in animal food is forbidden.

Mechanism of food preservation

The mechanism starts with the absorption of benzoic acid in to the cell. If the intra cellular pKa changes to 5 or lower, the anaerobic fermentation of glucose through phosphofructokinase is decreased by 95%.^{^*}

Safety and health

In combination with ascorbic acid (vitamin C, E300), sodium and potassium benzoate may form benzene, a known carcinogen. Heat, light and shelf life can affect the rate benzene is formed. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently (as of March 2006) performing tests, but the Environmental Working Group is calling for FDA to publicly release all tests and use their authority to force companies to reformulate to avoid the benzene forming combination (EWG).

References

External links

Benzoates | Sodium compounds | Antiseptics | Preservatives | Food additives

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Uses

Mechanism of food preservation

Safety and health

References

External links