In the previous article, the preservative potassium sorbate was introduced, and it was given that the toxicity of potassium sorbate is half that of sodium chloride. The subject of today's article is sodium benzoate, which is as famous in the preservative world as potassium sorbate. Sodium benzoate is a familiar ingredient in one of the world's most popular drinks, Cola. I'm sure you've all had this "Fat House Happy Water" at one time or another. So let's take a look at the preservative that Coke can't live without

Sodium benzoate, also known as sodium benzoate, C7H5O2Na, sodium benzoate is one of the most commonly used preservatives and is found naturally in cranberries, cinnamon, plums, preserved plums, cooked cloves and most berries. Ammonium benzoate is a broad spectrum antibacterial agent. The restrictions imposed by China and the United States are almost identical. The maximum added amount of ammonium benzoate in coke carbonated beverage is 0.2g/kg.

In the toxicity test of sodium benzoate, animal experiments show that sodium benzoate has no teratogenic, carcinogenic and mutagenic effects. The ADI(Acceptable Daily Intake) value for benzoic acid is 0 to 5mg/kg body weight. LD50 (Median lethal dose) was 2.7~4.44g/kg body weight. Sodium benzoate is a very safe preservative, although it is slightly more toxic than potassium sorbate (about 1/40 of its toxicity).

Some people may worry that if we consume sodium benzoate over time, it will not accumulate in the body. In fact, people and animals have an effective detoxification mechanism of benzoate. In the liver, benzoate and glycine conjugate to form horse uric acid, which can be excreted in the urine. In this way, most of the sodium benzoate ingested by the body can be excreted, and the remaining sodium benzoate can be detoxicated by combining with glucuronic acid to form glucosidic acid.

But when we open a browser and type in sodium benzoate, the note that pops up always catches our eye with two words: cancer. What's going on here? In fact, sodium benzoate has no carcinogenic effects, but the reason people linked it to cancer is that in the early 1990s, the FDA found benzene in some drinks, most of which contain both sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid (vitamin C), and later studies showed that It is concluded that benzoate and ascorbic acid can produce benzene when stimulated by high temperature and light. Benzene is a proven carcinogen. As a result, sodium benzoate is a lot of people unexplained buckle on a carcinogenic hat.

In fact, even in drinks where sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid are present, benzene is not always produced, and if it is produced, the amount of benzene is relatively low. What level, exactly? The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set the maximum allowable level (MCL) of benzene in drinking water at 5 ppb. The FDA detected less than 5 parts per billion of benzene in each of these drinks. Of course, the less you eat, the better for your health.

To sum up the main content of this episode:

First, sodium benzoate is currently recognized as a safe preservative worldwide

Two, the human body has the ability to metabolize sodium benzoate

Three, sodium benzoate itself is not carcinogenic, but it and ascorbic acid under certain conditions will produce carcinogenic benzene.

Scientific view of preservatives, reasonable control of diet, hope that everyone can have a good body