Product description:

White powder or granular odorless powder soluble in water use in food is limited to 0.1%. Mainly used as an ingredient in baking powder, fruit esters, food preservative, antiseptic, winemaking and effervescent beverages.

What does Sodium Benzoate do?

Sodium benzoate is the sodium salt of benzoic acid. As a food additive it is used as a preservative, effectively killing most yeasts, bacteria and fungi. Sodium benzoate is effective only in an acidic environment making its use most prevalent in foods such as preserves, salad dressings, carbonated drinks, jams, fruit juices, and chinese food sauces.

It is found naturally in cranberries, prunes, greengage plums, cinnamon, ripe cloves, and apples. Concentration as a preservative is limited to 0.1% by weight (because it is poisonous in larger quantities) though organically grown cranberries and prunes can conceivably contain levels exceeding this limit.

Animals have a significantly lower tolerance against benzoic acid and its salts, this is why of this the use of sodium benzoate in animal food is forbidden.

Molecular Formula
211

Food additive number
C6H5COONA