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Many consumers know that potassium sorbate is a preservative and believe that preservatives are highly harmful and unhealthy ingredients. This article will provide a comprehensive introduction to potassium sorbate, giving everyone a theoretical understanding of its safety.
Potassium sorbate: made from reacting sorbic acid with potassium carbonate or potassium hydroxide. The structure of sorbic acid is similar to that of small molecule conjugated fatty acids.
The conjugated structure of the fatty acid is -CH=CH-CH=CH-. This continuous carbon-carbon double-bond structure (-C=C-) is very unstable and can easily metabolize into carbon dioxide and water within the human body, which lays the foundation for the safety of potassium sorbate.
The chemical formula of potassium sorbate: CH3-CH=CH-CH=CH-COOK
Potassium sorbate CAS: 24634-61-5
Sorbic acid and potassium sorbate have the same preservative properties, but sorbic acid's structure is similar to that of fatty acids and has average solubility in water. When made into potassium sorbate, it can dissolve better in water.
Potassium sorbate is white or off-white granules or powder, odorless or slightly odorous, and stable to light and heat.
Due to the presence of two unsaturated conjugated double bonds, potassium sorbate is easily oxidized, especially the double bond far from the carboxyl group (-COOH), which oxidizes more readily. Once oxidized, the color of potassium sorbate darkens.
From the structure of potassium sorbate, its main structure is a small molecule conjugated fatty acid structure that can easily be metabolized into carbon dioxide and water in the human body, making it relatively safe.
The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) has conducted multiple safety evaluations of potassium sorbate, showing that it is safe to use at standard doses. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) also deem potassium sorbate a safe food additive.
Based on current scientific data, potassium sorbate is not listed as a Group 1 carcinogen. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies potassium sorbate as Group 3, meaning there is insufficient evidence to consider it carcinogenic to humans.
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