Useful information on Sodium Benzoate

a natural metabolite of the human body used in our herbal juices as preservative

Also known as "benzoate of soda," sodium benzoate is the sodium salt of "benzoic acid," an FDA- and Health Canada-approved, polyunsaturated fat that has been used by food manufacturers for over 80 years to inhibit microbial growth. Sodium benzoate can prevent growth of almost all microorganisms (yeast, bacteria, and fungi). It operates best in an acidic environment, and it works synergically with other food-grade preservatives.

Sodium benzoate is freely found in nature, and in fact, even organically grown cranberries or prunes can contain levels of benzoic acid that exceed the legal limit imposed by the FDA and Health Canada on food manufacturers (0.1% by weight), although the level normally found in berries will be in the range of 0.05 to 0.1%.

Sodium benzoic, as well as benzoic acid are completely SAFE, and like the preservative, sorbic acid, have been labeled SAFE by the leading food additive authority, Dr. Michael Jacobsen, founder and president of Center for Science in the Public Interest. In 1954 Dr. W.H. Stein reported in the Journal of the American Chemical Society that benzoate is a natural metabolite of the human body. Because commercial sodium benzoate is today made in laboratories, it has sometimes been banned by certain entities in the health food industry, there is no scientific basis for any claim that benzoate is unhealthful. It is a substance natural to the body's own metabolism, and in this respect is no difference in its functioning as a preservative than vinegar (acetic acid).

Sodium benzoate has been the subject of extensive experimentation: it has been tested in longitudinal and short-term feeding experiments in man, dogs, and rats. In one experiment in Germany, four generations of rats were continuously exposed to 0.05 or 1 percent sodium benzoate in their diet. Scientists did not observe any harmful effects on growth, life span, or internal organs. No tumors were detected. All evidence points to sodium benzoate as a safe preservative, except for rare instances of allergic reaction.

Operating Conditions: Sodium benzoate, like sorbic acid, is effective only under acidic conditions (preferably less than pH 3.6). Within the food industry, its use is therefore restricted to such foods as preserves, jams, salad dressing, fruit juices, pickles, and carbonated drinks.

We are using natural sodium benzoate for our herbal juices in combination with aloe enzyme and neem oil as preservative and stabilizer.

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