Potassium
sorbate is sold as a white powder, where it is used in butter, bread, salad
dressing, pop, wine, hand cream, blush, and mascara (2, 4, 7, 10, 12). It is
used because it is a preservative, something that is used to prevent food from
spoiling (4). It shouldn’t affect taste or colour but if too much of it is
added, it can lead to a celery, pineapple, or bubblegum smell (17, 18). It
breaks down easily so it shouldn’t stick around in the human body or the Earth
for long (6, 7)! Its structure is an unsaturated fatty acid and so when it
breaks down in the body, it becomes water and carbon dioxide (6, 7). It is
unlikely for people to be allergic to this chemical, but if you are allergic,
then best to avoid it (6).
Image by:
Samantha Brooks, 2012
It can sit on the table, just like table salt can, and
it requires a large amount before it can kill half a group of rat or mice (5,
11). Since it is considered to be one of the safest preservatives to use, it
has been used since the 1950s and 1960s in food and make-up products (7, 8).
But, if one day this chemical just disappears or sorbic acid and potassium
hydroxide together are unable to make it anymore, well then why not use citric
acid or sorbic acid instead because they’re just as good (6, 7, 9, 14)! With so
many good qualities and so many uses, why not use products containing this
chemical? Go ahead, try it!
References
(1) O’Neil, M.J., Heckelman, P.E., Kock, C.B., Roman,
K.J., Kenry, C.M., and D’Arsecca, M.R. (2006). The Merck Index: An
Encyclopedia (14th ed.) of Chemicals, Drugs, and Biologicals.
Merck & Co, Inc, Whitehouse Station, NJ, USA. pp. 7669.
(2) Morrow, R. S., Quinn, C. M., and updated by Staff
(2007). Carbonated Beverages. Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical
Technology.
(3) Sorbic International Plc. (2011). Product FAQs.
Retrieved on March 24, 2012, from http://www.sorbicinternational.com/media/product-faqs.php/
(4) H & A Canada Inc. (n.d.). Product data
potassium sorbate. Retrieved on March 21, 2012, from http://www.hacanada.com/login/cp/bpci/20095242342104678.pdf
(5) Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). (2010). Potassium
sorbate. Retrieved on March 15, 2012, from http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9924693
(6) CFNP TAP Review. (2002). Potassium sorbate.
Retrieved on March 21, 2012, from http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5067082
(7) Eastman. (1998). Sorbic acid and potassium
sorbate as cosmetic preservatives. Retrieved on March 15, 2012, from http://www.lotioncrafter.com/pdf/Sorbic_Acid_and_Potassium_Sorbate.pdf
(8) APAC Chemical Corporation. (2002). Sorbates. Retrieved on March
28, 2012, from http://www.apacchemical.com/Sorbates.htm
(9) Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB). (2010). Potassium
sorbate. Retrieved on March 15, 2012, from http://library.mtroyal.ca:2432/hsdb/Action.lasso?-database=hsdb&-layout=Display&-response=detail.html&-op=eq&HSDB+NUMBER=1230&-search
(10) U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2010). Food
ingredients and colours. Retrieved on March 25, 2012, from http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodIngredientsPackaging/ucm094211.htm
(11) Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). (2010). Sodium
chloride. Retrieved on March 27, 2012, from http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927593
(12) Butzke, C. E., and Singleton, V. L. (2007). Wine.
Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology.
(13) Health Canada. (2006). Food additives
permitted for use in Canada. Retrieved on March, 14, 2012, from http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/addit/diction/dict_food-alim_add-eng.php#p
(14) Wikipedia. (2012). Citric acid. Retrieved
on March 29, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citric_acid
(15) U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2009). Questions
and answers on the occurrence of benzene in soft drinks and other beverages.
Retrieved on March 28, 2012, from http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FoodContaminantsAdulteration/ChemicalContaminants/Benzene/ucm055131.htm
(16) Wikipedia. (2012).
Sodium nitrite. Retrieved on March, 29, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_nitrite
(17) Collings, B. (2002). Potassium sorbate.
Retrieved on March 14, 2012, from http://www.bcawa.ca/winemaking/sorbate.htm
(18) University of Minnesota Enology Blog. (2011). Potassium
sorbate as a wine preservative. Retrieved on March 21, 2012, from http://enology.umn.edu/2011/02/23/potassium-sorbate-as-a-wine-preservative/
No comments:
Post a Comment