Sodium Benzoate

Sodium benzoate is a preservative added to the product to enhance its shelf life and impede fungal development. Its action is somehow dependent on pH, being effective around an acidic pH of 3 to 5. Since it is a poor preservative as such, most of the time it needs other additives to enhance the overall effectiveness of this additive. The chemical definition is: it is the organic sodium salt of benzoic acid, produced by the replacement of the hydrogen atom in the carboxyl group by a sodium ion. It is allowed as an antimicrobial agent in food and cosmetics, and inhibitor of enzymes and plant metabolite.