{"id":12793,"date":"2021-08-01T13:57:36","date_gmt":"2021-08-01T05:57:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thefooduntold.com\/?p=12793"},"modified":"2021-08-25T10:57:45","modified_gmt":"2021-08-25T02:57:45","slug":"food-preservative-what-is-sorbic-acid-e200","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thefooduntold.com\/food-science\/food-preservative-what-is-sorbic-acid-e200\/","title":{"rendered":"Food Preservative: What Is Sorbic Acid (E200)?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Food
German chemist August Wilhelm von Hofmann first isolated sorbic acid from Sorbus aucuparia<\/em> (also called rowan and <\/strong>mountain-ash) in 1859<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sorbic acid as a preservative, (and its salts, sodium sorbate, potassium sorbate, and calcium sorbate) is one of the most commonly used in foods. Some of its applications include wines, cheeses, fruit juices, meat and fish products. Sorbic acid also has its same purpose in the cosmetic products. When added to personal care and cosmetics, it prevents the growth of microorganisms. Since it has a tendency to oxidize, another antimicrobial agent, citric acid, is normally combined to prevent any color change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, going back to sorbic acid as a food preservative, it all started in 1859. It was when August Wilhelm von Hofmann, a German chemist, first isolated sorbic acid from rowanberries’ oil by distillation. However, interest in the acid was minimal until its efficacy to inhibit the growth of microorganisms was discovered in the late 1930s. Following this was commercial production of sorbic acid in the 1940s. Demand started to grow in the 1980s, when meat companies started using sorbic acid as a nitrites alternative to prevent botulism. Nitrites are known for producing nitrosamines, which are carcinogenic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s discuss further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Table of Contents<\/p>\n