Sodium benzoate

Sodium benzoate is the sodium salt of benzoic acid, used chiefly to inhibit microbial growth in foods, beverages, cosmetics, and medicines.

Benzoic acid: Benzoic acid is an aromatic carboxylic acid with the formula C₆H₅COOH. Sodium benzoate forms when benzoic acid is neutralized with a sodium base.
Food preservation: Food preservation uses methods that slow spoilage and extend the safe or acceptable life of food. Sodium benzoate is used to limit microbial spoilage in acidic foods.
Potassium sorbate: Potassium sorbate is the potassium salt of sorbic acid, used to inhibit yeasts and molds in foods. It is a common alternative preservative, especially in acidic products.
Acceptable daily intake: An acceptable daily intake is an estimate of a substance’s amount per body weight that can be consumed daily over a lifetime without appreciable health risk. Regulators use intake estimates to assess permitted exposure to sodium benzoate.
Sodium hydroxide: Sodium hydroxide is a strong inorganic base with the formula NaOH. It can neutralize benzoic acid to produce sodium benzoate and water.
Weak acid: A weak acid only partially dissociates into ions in water. The balance between benzoate ions and undissociated benzoic acid depends on acidity.
Soft drink: A soft drink is a nonalcoholic beverage, often carbonated and flavored. Acidic soft drinks are a familiar setting for sodium benzoate preservation.
Calcium propionate: Calcium propionate is a salt of propionic acid used mainly to inhibit mold in baked goods. Its principal use in bakery products differs from sodium benzoate’s common beverage applications.
Food additive regulation: Food additive regulation sets conditions and limits for substances deliberately added to food. Sodium benzoate’s permitted uses and maximum levels vary across jurisdictions and products.
Friedrich Wöhler: Friedrich Wöhler was a German chemist whose work helped establish modern organic chemistry. His 1830 synthesis of benzoic acid from benzaldehyde contributed to understanding benzoic compounds.

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