Benzoates are naturally occurs in blueberries, cranberries, prunes, cinnamon and cloves. A small amount of sodium benzoate is non-toxic to the human body, it can be quickly absorbed in the body, mainly combined with glycine and excreted in the form of hippuric acid, and a small part is combined with glucuronic acid to form 1-benzoylglucuronic acid And discharged. It can be completely excreted from the body within 10-14 hours, so a small amount of sodium benzoate will have no accumulation effect. However, cats are more sensitive to benzoic acid and are prone to symptoms such as excitement, nervousness, loss of hearing, and balance, so pay attention when making pet food.

FDA stipulates that the content of sodium benzoate in food should not exceed 0.1% (by weight). A study by the International Chemical Safety Agency found that daily intake of 647-835 mg of sodium benzoate per kilogram of body weight will not have a negative impact on health.

Benzoate preservatives (sodium benzoate, potassium benzoate) can react with vitamin C to produce carcinogenic benzene. Due to the different standards for the content of benzene in beverages in different countries, the content of benzene in different beverages is also different, and the above decomposition reaction is also closely related to many factors such as light, heating and storage time, so the current parabens It is unclear whether the benzene produced exceeds the standard. This has caused the public to continue to question the toxicity of benzoate. The Coca-Cola Company has therefore announced that it will gradually ban the use of sodium benzoate in its products and replace it with more natural preservatives.