Sodium+Benzoate-Regina

Regina L. Felder Diagram of molecule



Image above is Sodium Benzoate Image Citation: http://sci-toys.com/ingredients/sodium_benzoate.html

[|Sodium Benzoate] or benzoate of soda has the chemical formula of **C7H6NaO2**. The visual of benzoate is white powder or crystals like. This chemical is soluble in water and also preserves food like High Fructose Corn Syrup(HFCS). In acidic food and beverages (like Welch’s Grape Soda) and products sodium benzoate controls bacteria, mold, yeast, and other microbes. This may seem to be a common ingredient in most foods but mostly soft drinks. The taste of sodium benzoate can be described as salty or a bitter taste, maybe a sweet taste. Naturally sodium benzoate can be found in fruits like **apples, plums and cranberries** also some sweet spices such as cloves and cinnamon with very little of it.


 * Nutritional Information**

//•What type of nutrient/chemical is it?// mineral/chemical •//What happens if there is too much or too little of this nutrient in your diet? What human body systems are most affected by this?// There have been some health concerns about the combination of sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid or vitamin C. When the two are mixed, they can form the chemical benzene, which is carcinogenic. However, sodium benzoate on its own is not considered a carcinogen, and you would have to consume a huge amount of it in order to have toxic levels in your body. In mice studies where the animals were fed sodium benzoate, no adverse effects were reported, and the mice’s life expectancies were not shortened, nor was their health affected in any way.

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