Benzene in beverages?; a must know to food technologists
- Wednesday, July 04, 2012
- by
- Unknown
Benzene in
beverages?; a must know to food technologists
Sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid are two
very common preservatives which are
considered harmless each having listed as safe. Ascorbic acid is a natural
component of fruit juices and is added to beverages to preserve color, while
sodium benzoate has strong anti microbial property.
Look at the ingredients label of several soft drinks and you
will find sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid listed. The concentration at which
sodium benzoate is found is supposed to be safe. The problem arises when the
two of them are used together, then they produce benzene. But this dangerous
interaction does not seem to be general knowledge.
A study was carried out in a range of soft drinks/ beverages
containing sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid- two
common preservative which can act together to cause benzene formation through
the decarboxylation of benzoic acid under certain condition, such as exposure
to heat and light. A large
no. of diet colas sampled in US between 1995 and 2001 had benzene levels higher
than the limits permissible in drinking water.
No one knows how long benzene has been there in beverages. A
long time probably and there are a lot more beverages now than there used to be.
Companies have a fear that they might have to replace sodium benzoate without
which they would be unable to cold bottle their drinks, and might have to
restart to more costly processes like heat pasteurization.
The two ingredients are still used together in a world wide
range of soft drinks across the world and there is
uncertainty over how much drink’s exposure to heat can exaggerate the problem.
Formation of benzene in beverages is a real danger in
developing countries like Nepal, India, Bangladesh etc. with hot summers and where vendors
refrigerate few packs while the rest are displayed outside to attract customers
.
Science Reporter-Jnne 2008
Dr. H. k. Parwana
Punjab Pollution Control Board
