Sodium sorbate

Sodium sorbate is the sodium salt of sorbic acid (E200), sharing the same antimicrobial properties and preservative function. Like sorbic acid, it inhibits the growth of moulds, yeasts, and certain bacteria in foods by disrupting cell membrane function and interfering with microbial enzyme systems. Its sodium salt form provides slightly greater water solubility than sorbic acid itself, making it easier to incorporate into aqueous food formulations such as beverages, sauces, and dairy products.

JECFA established a group ADI of 25 mg/kg body weight per day for sorbic acid and its salts (E200–E203), expressed as sorbic acid equivalents, in 1962. This figure covers the combined intake from all sorbate sources. Sorbic acid is metabolised in the human body through normal fatty acid oxidation pathways — beta-oxidation — to carbon dioxide and water, making it one of the most metabolically straightforward synthetic preservatives available. Typical dietary exposure from foods containing sorbates is well below the group ADI.

Sodium sorbate is approved throughout the EU and in most global food markets as a preservative. It is considered among the safest of the synthetic preservatives and is accepted in many "clean label" product development contexts. The group ADI ensures that total intake from sorbic acid (E200), potassium sorbate (E202), calcium sorbate (E203), and sodium sorbate (E201) is collectively controlled. Consumers who check ingredient labels will most commonly encounter potassium sorbate rather than sodium sorbate, as the potassium form is the industry standard, but both are chemically and toxicologically equivalent.