What is Potassium Sorbate Preservative?
Do you know why food preservatives are an essential component in food industry? Preservation of food is an essential factor in the production of foods for consumption because it helps in maintaining food quality as well as increasing the shelf life of the foods. The compound known as potassium sorbate is one of the most popular safe food additives in use today.
What is Potassium Sorbate?
Potassium sorbate, also referred to as potassium sorbate E202, is the potassium salt of sorbic acid produced by the synthesis of potassium hydroxide and sorbic acid. It is available as white to light yellow crystalline flaky granules or crystalline powder, or it may have a mild smell. If left open for some time, it gets to absorb water and through oxidation, it becomes affected with discoloration. It is highly soluble in water, soluble in propylene glycol, and ethanol.
Potassium sorbate preservative is one of the widely utilised preservatives in foodstuffs in the global market that is commonly used in juice, sugar-added drinks, wine, yogurt, sugary confectionery, chocolate products, meat products, fruits that are dried fruits, and even canned foods. It is also applied in cosmetics, skin creams, hair shampoos, and in some medicines to inhibit bacterial and mold growth in foods potassium sorbate. Is Potassium sorbate safe? The safe properties of potassium sorbate mean that it does not affect the colour, taste, or smell of food upon application, thus making it an appropriate preservative.
Sorbic acid is present in the composition of potassium sorbate preservative, and it has a great ability to inhibit mold and yeast development. But still, its action against various bacteria is not as effective as the sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate combination. It is stable, has long-term stability under appropriate conditions of storage and temperature, and is not easily inactivated by acidic substances such as fruit juices, beverages, and yogurt.
What is Potassium Sorbate Made From?
The main process through which potassium sorbate is manufactured is by a process of neutralization. From the given sorbic acid and other related byproducts, they are neutralized using potassium carbonate or potassium hydroxide. To achieve this, the actual production process is as follows:
●Sorbic acid is added to a reaction kettle.
●Second, water is added, which constitutes 66% of the mass of the sorbic acid.
●The reaction solution is stirred with a 49% potassium hydroxide solution for about 45 minutes while maintaining the temperature at 45°C until the pH of the solution equals 8.
●Activated carbon is added, and vacuum filtration is then carried out.
●The filtrate is concentrated by vacuum evaporation at a temperature of 40-45°C for 3-4 hrs to the required density.
●In the case of discharge, the solution is heated to 70°C, and crystals are dried through centrifugation.
●The final drying step at 105°C results in the potassium sorbate product.
Potassium Sorbate Properties
High Safety
It has been established that potassium sorbate safe characteristics mean that it is a relatively non-toxic and highly efficient preservative. Sorbic acid is not toxic, and upon consumption by the human metabolic system, this compound can easily be broken down into carbon dioxide and water in the body without any residue. This makes potassium sorbate among the least toxic food preservatives on the market.
Significant Preservative Effect
In fact, potassium sorbate is a very effective fungicide, yeast and aerobic bacteria because it inhibits the moulds. It has been considered that using potassium sorbate is useful because it has preservative efficacy, which is five to ten times more than other similar products, such as sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate.
Convenient Industrial Production
The raw materials used for the synthesis of potassium sorbate are easily available and therefore fairly cheap. It is a fairly unlikely reaction, has minimum side reactions occurring, and is known to give a fairly high yield.
Wide Range of Applications
The usage of potassium sorbate is not only in the food industry but also in pharma and cosmetics, flavoring, and the feed industry. So, there are plenty of instances of potassium sorbate uses.
Common Uses of Potassium Sorbate
This potassium sorbate preservative is among the few preservatives that have been accredited globally as some of the safe food additives, as endorsed by FAO and WHO. It is applied in the food and feed sectors, and also in the sectors of cosmetics, tobacco, resins, fragrances, and rubber.
Potassium Sorbate as a Food Preservative
Food preservative potassium sorbate in food is used mostly at the level of between 0.02% to 0.1% in noodles, pickles, canned fruits and vegetables, dried fruits and meats, milk products, and spices. When applied in the industry, 1% potassium sorbate can effectively prevent the generation of botulinum toxin in meat products. It is also adapted with low alcoholic products such as fruit wine, beer, and wine, which offer the appropriate preservative characteristics.
The FAO has prescribed a recommended level of potassium sorbate that can be used in foods as limited to 0.28 kg of the substance per kilogram of the food product. Many countries adopted this standard, but at the same time, have several regulations concerning using potassium sorbate depending on local circumstances. Further, potassium sorbate, when applied on the packaging material, also helps in preserving bread, crackers, and any other food stuff for a longer time.
Due to these constraints, most of the food preservatives being sought in the global market are food additives that can yield cumulative effects when used together.
Food Containers and Packaging Materials
The use of containers has primary function of containers is to serve as a protector of the food being stored in them. Currently, potassium sorbate is being applied in the packaging of foods and other consumable products to enhance shelf life, nutritional value, and safety. This makes it a flexible preservative that can also be added, soaked, sprayed, or used in a dry powder spray form during the packaging material treatment. Based on the properties of the potassium sorbate preservative, its use will increase in the future.
Potassium Sorbate Preservative in Animal Feed
According to both the United States and the European Union, potassium sorbate is allowed to be used as a feed additive. It helps to prevent mold growth in feed and the formation of aflatoxins, and thus acts as an anti-spoilage agent. Also, potassium sorbate preservative plays an important role in discouraging microbial development in the gut of animals, thus earning its place in feed preservation.
Potassium sorbate is an example of an unsaturated fatty acid that is safe for human consumption and has no toxic effects on the animal body. What about using potassium sorbate in animal feed? Potassium sorbate is useful in animal feed production mainly because animal feed is likely to spoil during storage and transportation.
Application of Potassium Sorbate in Cosmetics
Potassium sorbate for skin is commonly employed in the cosmetic industry as a preservative for inhibiting microbial spoilage. Potassium sorbate preservative is a preservative that is in skin creams, lotions, shampoo, and other body products to prevent and prolong the spoilage of the products.
Conclusion
Potassium sorbate preservative is used in various industries such as the food industry, the feed industry, and the cosmetic industry, as one of the best safe food additives, since it provides high safety, a high level of efficacy, and is easy to manufacture. Potassium sorbate in food is an extremely vital component and is widely used as a food preservative that is secure for consumption, facilitates stability, increases the longevity of the food product, and is safe. As the world consumption of food preservatives rises further, potassium sorbate E202 will be more widely used across vast industries.
For users looking to buy potassium sorbate as a safety preservative for food, cosmetics, or feed, it remains an effective and essential preservative solution.
Related Posts：
1. Is E211 Sodium Benzoate Preservative?
2. Two Common Preservatives: Potassium Sorbate and Sodium Benzoate
