Sodium sorbate is the
sodium
Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na (from Latin ''natrium'') and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal. Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 of the periodic table. Its only stable ...
salt
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quanti ...
of
sorbic acid
Sorbic acid, or 2,4-hexadienoic acid, is a natural organic compound used as a food preservative. It has the chemical formula and the structure . It is a colourless solid that is slightly soluble in water and sublimes readily. It was first iso ...
. It is an unstable white solid. Unlike other sorbic acid salts such as
potassium sorbate (E202) and
calcium sorbate
Calcium sorbate is the calcium salt of sorbic acid. Calcium sorbate is a polyunsaturated fatty acid salt.
It is a commonly used food preservative
Food preservation includes processes that make food more resistant to microorganism growth a ...
(E203), the use of sodium sorbate as a
food additive
Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavor or enhance taste, appearance, or other sensory qualities. Some additives have been used for centuries as part of an effort to preserve food, for example vinegar (pickling), salt (sal ...
is not allowed in the EU due to potential genotoxic effects.
EFSA Journal 2015
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References
Organic sodium salts
Sorbates
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