Abstract
Food additives are widely used by the food industry to increase the product shelf life and/or attribute as well as enhance certain characteristics of particular foods, which are often lost during processing. With the advent of modern life, more and more additives have been employed by the food industry. Despite their wide use, they are substances that may cause adverse reactions like any other drug. This study aimed to contextualize through a review of the literature, the scientific evidence on the risks entailed by the consumption of food additives, special regards to sodium benzoate. This additive is a sodium salt, which is commonly used as a chemical preservative in foods, and it is found mainly in industrialized drinks/beverages. Sodium benzoate is considered safe by major regulatory agencies, but there is still controversy over its effects on human health. Key words: Industrialized foods, preservatives, toxicity, sodium benzoate.
Highlights
The change in dietary habits in recent decades has caught the attention of regulators and the scientific community as a whole, since the substitution of in natura by industrialized foods has contributed significantly to lowering the quality of people’s diet, a situation observed due to the indiscriminate use of chemical additives in processed foods (Polônio and Peres, 2009).Just as the dietary pattern of the population has been changing in order to meet the demands of a modern and globalized world, where time is very precious, the Western people’s diet has been following this same model (Hill, 1993)
Food additives are widely used by the food industry to increase the product shelf life and/or attribute as well as enhance certain characteristics of particular foods, which are often lost during processing
This study aimed to contextualize through a review of the literature, the scientific evidence on the risks entailed by the consumption of food additives, special regards to sodium benzoate
Summary
The change in dietary habits in recent decades has caught the attention of regulators and the scientific community as a whole, since the substitution of in natura by industrialized foods has contributed significantly to lowering the quality of people’s diet, a situation observed due to the indiscriminate use of chemical additives in processed foods (Polônio and Peres, 2009).Just as the dietary pattern of the population has been changing in order to meet the demands of a modern and globalized world, where time is very precious, the Western people’s diet has been following this same model (Hill, 1993). This study aimed to contextualize through a review of the literature, the scientific evidence on the risks entailed by the consumption of food additives, special regards to sodium benzoate. This additive is a sodium salt, which is commonly used as a chemical preservative in foods, and it is found mainly in industrialized drinks/beverages.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call