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Artificial Preservatives
Artificial preservatives are man-made in the chemical industry. They are used in foods, cosmetics, and many other products. The goal of an artificial preservative should be to reduce the risk of foodborne infections, to decrease microbial spoilage, and to preserve fresh attributes and nutritional quality. The most commonly used preservatives are saccharin, sorbic acid and its salts, benzoic acid and its salts, parabens, and salicylic acid. A variety of artificial preservatives exist in order to meet the different needs presented by different types of food. For example, sodium benzoate, a salt of benzoic acid, is used in acidic foods to control bacteria, mold, yeasts, and other microbes. It can be found in items such as jams, salad dressing, juices, pickles, and carbonated drinks. For foods of a higher pH, however, sorbic acid is generally chosen. Sorbic acid is found in cheese, wine, and baked goods, and is often used to inhibit molds, yeasts, and fungi. Unlike sodium benzoate and sorbic acid, parabens are stable at a broad pH range. They also possess a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity, are heat stable, have a low toxicity, and are biodegradable. Some techniques for adding preservatives include the addition of UV-C light, pulsed light, electrolyzed oxidizing water, ozone, and low temperature blanching.

The increasing demand for ready-to-eat fresh food products has led to challenges for food distributors regarding the safety and quality of their foods. Artificial preservatives meet some of these challenges by preserving freshness for longer periods of time, but these preservatives can cause negative side-effects as well. Sodium nitrite is a preservative used in lunch meats, hams, sausages, hot dogs, and bacon to prevent botulism. It serves the important function of controlling the bacteria that cause botulism, but sodium nitrite can react with proteins, or during cooking at high heats, to form carcinogenic N-nitrosamines. It has also been linked to cancer in lab animals. The commonly used sodium benzoate has been found to extend the shelf life of bottled tomato paste to 40 weeks without loss of quality. However, it can form the carcinogen benzene when combined with Vitamin C. Many food manufacturers have reformed their products to eliminate this combination, but a risk still exists. Consumption of sodium benzoate may also cause hyperactivity. For over 30 years, there has been a debate about whether or not preservatives and other food additives can cause hyperactivity. Studies have found that there may be increases in hyperactivity amongst children who consume artificial colorings and benzoate preservatives, but these studies were not entirely conclusive. Hyperactivity only increased moderately, and it was not determined if the preservatives, colorings, or a combination of the two were responsible for the increase.