Examination of the Antimicrobial Preservatives of Benzoic Acid and Sodium Benzoate in Different Food Products in Iran: A Review of the Current Evidence

Benzoic acid and sodium benzoate are antimicrobial preservatives used in food. National regulatory organizations have determined the permitted levels of benzoic acid and sodium benzoate in different food products. This review article was performed to collect the results of researches in Iran on the concentration of benzoic acid and sodium benzoate in different food products. Furthermore, the reported benzoic acid and sodium benzoate concentrations were compared with maximum permitted levels based on national standards.
As the keywords of benzoic acid, sodium benzoate, food, and Iran were searched in national and international databases such as SID, Magiran, Google Scholar, PubMed, and ISI.
Findings: From among the 61 articles published from 2000 to 2016, 43 were eliminated and a total of 18 articles were studied. Sodium benzoate was evaluated in the 4 categories of dairy products, acidic food, beverages, and grains. Most of the studies had focused on dairy products and very few studies had focused on other categories. Incompatibility of the permitted amount of benzoic acid and sodium benzoate in different food products with the national standard was observed in 100% of articles on dairy products, acidic food, and grains as well as 80% of articles related to beverages.
The studies conducted in Iran reported 2 hypotheses on benzoic acid and sodium benzoate in food products. First, the Presence of benzoic acid and sodium benzoate in dairy products, acidic food, and grains may be due to natural interactions caused by microorganisms. Thus, the performance of scientific researches to define the natural amount of benzoic acid and sodium benzoate is necessary and revision of the national standards is recommended. Second, benzoic acid and sodium benzoate may be added to food products by food manufacturers. Therefore, the planning and management of continuous monitoring of benzoic acid and sodium benzoate amount in different food products by regulatory and health organizations are necessary.