Sorbic acid

Sorbic acid is an unsaturated fatty acid used chiefly as a preservative to inhibit molds and yeasts in foods and other products.

Potassium sorbate: The potassium salt of sorbic acid, widely used as a water-soluble food preservative. It dissolves more readily than sorbic acid and releases the active acid in acidic products.
Food preservation: Methods used to slow spoilage and extend the safe or usable life of food. Sorbic acid is a preservative added to foods to limit fungal spoilage.
Carboxylic acid: An organic compound containing a carboxyl group, which can donate a proton in solution. Sorbic acid’s carboxyl group gives it acidic properties and forms sorbate salts.
Benzoic acid: An aromatic carboxylic acid used as a preservative, especially in acidic foods and drinks. It is another weak-acid preservative, but has a different molecular structure and use profile.
Weak acid preservation: Food preservation using weak organic acids that inhibit microbial growth, especially in acidic conditions. Sorbic acid’s antimicrobial activity follows the weak-acid preservation mechanism.
Cheese: A dairy food made by coagulating milk proteins and separating curds from whey. Sorbic acid or its salts can inhibit surface molds on some cheeses.
Conjugated system: A connected sequence of atoms with overlapping p orbitals that allows electrons to delocalize. Alternating double bonds in sorbic acid create a conjugated system.
Propionic acid: A short-chain carboxylic acid used to inhibit mold in foods and animal feed. It is particularly associated with mold control in bread and feed, unlike sorbic acid’s broader food uses.
pH: A logarithmic measure of hydrogen-ion activity that indicates how acidic or alkaline a solution is. Lower pH increases the fraction of sorbic acid in its undissociated, more antimicrobial form.
Wine: An alcoholic beverage produced by fermenting grape juice or other fruit juice. Sorbate may be used to inhibit yeast growth in some sweet wines before bottling.

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