1. Using different

sodium benzoate is mainly used as a food preservative, and also used to make medicines and dyes.

Potassium sorbate is used in food and feed processing industries, as well as cosmetics, cigarettes, resins, spices and rubber industries. However, it is widely used in food preservation and feed.

2. The synthesis of sodium benzoate is different

Benzoic acid is prepared by air oxidation of toluene in the presence of cobalt naphthenate catalyst, and then benzoic acid is used as raw material, neutralized by sodium bicarbonate, decolorized by activated carbon, filtered, dried and crushed to obtain the product.

There are two main synthesis methods of sorbic acid:

(1) crotonaldehyde reacts with acetone under specific conditions.

(2) crotonaldehyde and ketene are used as raw materials to react under specific technological conditions.

3. Different functions

Sodium benzoate has the effect of preventing deterioration and souring and prolonging the shelf life.

potassium sorbate has a strong inhibitory effect on spoilage bacteria and molds, and its toxicity is far lower than other preservatives, so it is widely used at present. Potassium sorbate can give full play to its anti-corrosion effect in acidic medium, but it has little anti-corrosion effect under neutral conditions.

Extended information

Sorbic acid and potassium sorbate are less toxic than benzoic acid, and the antiseptic effect is better than sodium benzoate, which is safer. The advantages of benzoic acid and sodium benzoate are relatively stable in air and low cost. But in the sealed state, sorbic acid and potassium sorbate are also very stable, and the thermal stability of potassium sorbate is better, and the decomposition temperature is as high as 27℃. Because the amount of food additives is very small, it will not significantly increase the cost of meat products. Therefore, many countries have gradually adopted sorbic acid and potassium sorbate instead of benzoic acid and sodium benzoate.

In addition, the solubility of benzoic acid is low under acidic conditions. If the stirring is not uniform, benzoic acid crystals will be precipitated locally, which will lead to excessive additives in some products (Hou Zhenjian, 24). Benzoic acid also has antagonistic effects on calcium chloride, and has similar effects on sodium chloride, isobutyric acid, gluconic acid and cysteine salt (Ge Changrong, 22). The addition of benzoic acid will also make food astringent and even destroy the flavor of meat products. Therefore, it is not recommended to use benzoic acid and sodium benzoate as preservatives in meat processing.

Baidu encyclopedia-sodium benzoate

Baidu encyclopedia-potassium sorbate