Why is benzoic acid useful?
Why is benzoic acid useful?
As a kind of antibacterial and antifungal preservative, benzoic acid is widely used in foods and feeds. Recently, many studies showed that it could improve the growth and health, which should, at least partially, be derived from the promotion of gut functions, including digestion, absorption, and barrier.
What is the use of benzoic acid in food and pharmaceutical preparations?
The sodium salt of BENZOIC ACID. It is used as an antifungal preservative in pharmaceutical preparations and foods.
What type of drug is benzoic acid?
Benzoic acid is an antimicrobial food additive. A fungistatic compound that is widely used as a food preservative. It is conjugated to GLYCINE in the liver and excreted as hippuric acid. As the sodium salt form, sodium benzoate is used as a treatment for urea cycle disorders due to its ability to bind amino acids.
How does benzoic acid work as a preservative?
Benzoic acid and its salts are used as a food preservatives, represented by the E numbers E210, E211, E212, and E213. Benzoic acid inhibits the growth of mold, yeast and some bacteria. It is either added directly or created from reactions with its sodium, potassium, or calcium salt.
What products have benzoic acid?
Sodium benzoate does not occur naturally, but benzoic acid is found in many plants, including cinnamon, cloves, tomatoes, berries, plums, apples, and cranberries ( 2 ). Additionally, certain bacteria produce benzoic acid when fermenting dairy products like yogurt (1, 3 ). Sodium benzoate is a man-made compound.
When was benzoic acid first used?
The preservative action of benzoic acid was first described in 1875 by H. Fleck (Strahlmann 1974), when attempting to find a substitute for the already familiar salicylic acid.
What is benzoate used for?
In the food industry, sodium benzoate is used to prevent spoilage from harmful bacteria, yeasts, and molds. It also helps maintain freshness in food by helping to slow or prevent changes in color, flavor, PH, and texture. Other foods that commonly include sodium benzoate include: Salad dressings.
What are the two uses for preparing benzoic acid?
How can benzoic acid be prepared? Industrially, benzoic acid can be prepared by employing oxygen gas for the partial oxidation of toluene. It can be noted that this process usually employs manganese or cobalt naphthenate as catalysts. This compound can also be prepared via the hydrolysis of benzamide and benzonitrile.
What products contain benzoic acid?
What is benzoic acid in skin care?
Benzoic acid is an aromatic acid used in a wide variety of cosmetics as a pH adjuster and preservative. Benzoic acid has a long history of use as an antifungal agent in topical therapeutic preparations.
What does benzoic acid mean?
Definition of benzoic acid : a white crystalline acid C6H5COOH found naturally (as in benzoin or in cranberries) or made synthetically and used especially as a preservative of foods, as an antifungal agent in pharmaceuticals, and in organic synthesis.
What is sodium benzoate used for in cosmetics?
Sodium benzoate is used in a wide variety of cosmetics and personal care products where it acts as a corrosion inhibitor, fragrance ingredient, and preservative. As a preservative, sodium benzoate is primarily an anti-fungal agent but also has some effectiveness against bacteria.