Sodium Benzoate as a Food Additive

Sodium benzoate, or benzoate of soda, is a common food preservative not found in nature. While benzoic acid naturally occurs in cranberries, cloves, cinnamon, apples, and tomatoes, for instance, the combination of sodium hydroxide and benzoic acid form sodium benzoate. The addition of this ingredient to foods and beverages enhances solvency. As a food ingredient supplier, Bell Chem recognizes the importance of sodium benzoate in the food and beverage industry and offers the following information on why you should invest in sodium benzoate as a food additive.

Inhibiting Growth

Sodium benzoate is both a bactericide and a fungicide, inhibiting growth of both classifications of microbes. Because it does not kill existing microbes, it is generally added after products have been sterilized or pasteurized. When added to processed foods, sodium benzoate extends shelf life.

Lowering Acidity

Acidic (low pH) environments benefit most from the addition of sodium benzoate as an additive. For this reason, it is often added to “tangy” products, such as lemon sodas, jarred pickles, soy sauce, and salad dressings.

Other Uses of Sodium Benzoate

While other food additives perform many of the above functions, sodium benzoate has other properties not common in almost any other product. It has been found to do the following:

• Increase memory and mental cognition by enhancing the plasticity of synapses between areas of the brain;

• Treat schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety, ALS, and Parkinson’s disease by curtailing D-amino acid oxidase (DAAO) effects on NMDA receptors, which are responsible for maintaining memory function in the brain; and

• Lower cholesterol levels by decreasing inflammation. The decrease in inflammation is also responsible for sodium benzoate’s role in countering the effects of autoimmune disorders.

An ingredient that enhances not only food quality and shelf life, but potentially overall health, you can have it all by adding sodium benzoate to your products. 

Bell Chem is a food ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including sodium benzoate. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

What is Sodium Benzoate EDF Food Grade

Sodium benzoate, NaC7H5O2, is a food additive that primarily acts as a preservative. Unlike many other additives, sodium benzoate EDF food grade has no natural equal; it is the chemical combination of benzoic acid and sodium hydroxide. While benzoic acid, which is formed naturally in many plants, is a natural preservative, the addition of sodium hydroxide allows it to easily dissolve during the production of processed foods. Bell Chem, your food ingredient supplier, carries EDF food grade sodium benzoate for foods, beverages, personal care products, and pharmaceuticals.

Sodium benzoate in food

Sodium benzoate has a long history as a food additive. In fact, it was the first preservative the FDA permitted to be used in foods. Widely used in foods and beverages, sodium benzoate is the preservative of choice in pickled and fermented products, jellies and jams, salad dressing and mayonnaise, lemon juice, low- and no-alcohol beer, and carbonated beverages – the latter due to the increasing demand of high-fructose corn syrup. Sodium benzoate has been found to be extremely effective in foods with pH levels below 6.5.

Sodium benzoate in medications

Medications, whether prescription or over-the-counter, utilize sodium benzoate EDF food grade as a preservative. Particularly prevalent in liquid medication such as cough syrup, it is also an ingredient added in solid medicines, such as tablets and pills. The addition of sodium benzoate adds a smooth, transparent finish that gives medications an easier time passing through the esophagus and a faster break-down time within the stomach. 

Medically, a physician may recommend an infusion of sodium benzoate to treat dangerously high ammonia levels within the blood. 

Sodium benzoate in cosmetics

Cosmetics also find great uses of sodium benzoate as a preservative. Much like with foods and beverages, the shelf life of cosmetics is extended with the powerful ability of sodium benzoate EDF food grade to repel bacterial and fungal infestations. Hair products, personal disposable wipes, and oral products contain sodium benzoate.

Food ingredient supplier Bell Chem is based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including sodium benzoate EDF food grade. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.