Also known as "benzoate of soda," sodium benzoate is an FDA-approved, polyunsaturated fat that has been used by food manufacturers for over 80 years to inhibit microbial growth. 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 (carbonic acid), jams (citric acid), fruit juices (citric acid), and chinese food sauces. It is also found in alcohol-based mouthwash and silver polish. More recently, sodium benzoate has become apparent in many soft drinks, including Sprite, Fanta, Sunkist, Dr Pepper and Coke Zero.
It operates best in an acidic environment, and it works synergically with other food-grade preservatives -- most notably potassium sorbate. Sodium benzoate is freely found in nature, and in fact, even organically grown cranberries or prunes can contain levels......

Join Now to view the rest of this term paper!
Members: Login to view this research paper.

Title: Sodium Benzoate Food Preservative
Approximate Word Count: 425
Approximate Pages: 2 (250 words per double-spaced page)

With the Term Papers Lab Membership Pass, you get instant access to every essay on this site, including this essay on Sodium Benzoate Food Preservative, for as long as you remain a member.

Other essays sites charge almost $100 for a single term paper. At Term Papers Lab, you can get instant access to over 100,000 research papers for as little as $29.95!