All packaged foods including crackers, frozen foods/dinners, protein bars, canned or pre-mixed soups contain preservatives. These additives are inevitable in food manufacturing as they help to stabilize and lengthen the shelf-life, flavor and texture of food products. A number of preservatives can be fairly simple ones like sugar or salt, or can be complex chemicals. Food preservatives are effective in keeping the eatables safe by suppressing certain reactions when food products come in contact with heat, oxygen, metals etc. Additionally, these chemicals prevent the loss of essential vitamins which play pivotal role in keeping us healthy. Most laboratory developed food preservatives are considered to be safe and well tolerated.
Potassium sorbate is one of the safest food-grade preservatives commonly used today. The FDA has included potassium sorbate in "generally recognized as safe (GRAS)" list. This food additive is recognized with the E number 202. It is a white crystalline powder with strong antimicrobial properties. It is effective in reducing the risk of food-borne illnesses. Apart from food industry, potassium sorbate has several commercial uses in wine, and personal care product manufacturing industries. It is the inorganic salt of sorbic acid which gets readily dissolved in water and forms sorbic acid. Interestingly, potassium sorbate does not affect the color, taste, or flavor of foods. This food additive is completely metabolized by the human body. It has the lowest allergenic potential amongst different categories of food preservatives as it is effective over a wide range of pH. This food additive prevents the growth of variety of microorganisms including yeast, molds, and fungi that attack foods. Potassium sorbate is commercially manufactured by reacting potassium hydroxide with an equimolar portion of sorbic acid.
Adults weighing less than 70 kg can safely consume 875 mg of potassium sorbate daily. Potassium Sorbate solution or sorbic acid can cause contact dermatitis at concentrations higher than 0.5%. Common allergic symptoms include severe itching of the eyes, mouth, skin, throat, nasal congestion, runny nose and abdominal pain. Some individuals suffer from migraine attack, a common adverse health effect of this preservative. Higher dosage of potassium sorbate can result in hyperkalemia. In this condition, excessive destruction of tissue increases the level of potassium in the blood. Symptoms include fatigue, nausea, and muscle weakness.