Potassium sorbate
potassium sorbate
Definition: Acidic preservative. Colorless to white flake crystalline or crystalline powder, odorless or slightly odorous, easily soluble in water, ethanol and stable dissolved state.
Discipline: Food Science and Technology_Food Science_Food Additives and Ingredients_Food Additives
Related terms: preservatives preservatives preservatives
Image source: Visual China
【Further reading】
Potassium sorbate is a potassium salt of sorbic acid (2,4-hexadienoic acid), natural sorbic acid and potassium sorbate are mainly present in berries and fruits, and can only meet the greater market demand through chemical synthesis.
Potassium sorbate has a very strong inhibition of mold and rot, and is very soluble in water, so it is widely used as a food preservative, and can also be used for cosmetics antiseptic and feed anti-mildew. Potassium sorbate is recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as a safe and effective food preservative. Potassium sorbate has the characteristics of low toxicity, good anti-mildew effect, does not change the original nature of food, etc., is easy to use, has a wide range of applications, and is currently widely used in China's food industry. With the reduction of production costs and the continuous breakthrough of production technology, potassium sorbate as a low-toxicity, safe and efficient food preservative, its application scope is expanding.
Application in the animal feed industry: potassium sorbate can inhibit the growth of mold in the feed, especially to inhibit the formation of aflatoxin has a very significant effect, so the addition of potassium sorbate can effectively avoid the spoilage of feed in the storage, transportation and sales process, and it can continue to inhibit the growth of microorganisms in the animal intestine.
Applications in vegetables and fruits: The surface of vegetables and fruits can be stored for up to a month at temperatures up to 30 ° C after using potassium sorbate preservatives, and the color can be kept unchanged. Apples sprayed with potassium sorbate preservative on the surface only decay and deteriorate after 4 months of storage at room temperature. Potassium sorbate even prevents tinplate oxidation and rusting of canned vegetables.
Application in meat products: Smoked ham, dried sausages, dried meat and other dried meat products are briefly soaked with an appropriate concentration of potassium sorbate solution to achieve antiseptic preservation. Fresh poultry meat, whose surface was sprayed with potassium sorbate preservation solution, significantly delayed the time of spoilage compared with similar foods that had not been sprayed with plastic preservation liquid, and the preservation time was twice that of the compared samples. (Extended reading Author: Wang Minghui, Associate Professor, College of Resources and Environment, Jilin Agricultural University)
Editor-in-Charge: Tang Ke