Sodium benzoate is the sodium salt of benzoic acid. The salt is insoluble in ether. Sodium benzoate is a slightly hygroscopic, white, odorless or nearly odorless product. Food and beverage spoilage has been a problem throughout history.
Most food spoilage is due to enzyme action upon food.
Enzymes are complex organic compounds that may act as catalysts and cause a chemical change to occur. Most enzymes that cause food to spoil are produced by living organisms, e.g., bacteria, molds and yeast. Fresh foodstuffs may have some of these microorganisms present and others may be encountered by exposure to the air or in processing. Consequently, the quality of microorganism enzymes of both types which cause food to spoil is directly related to the concentrations of the microorganism present, its species, and its general activity. Microorganisms are largely responsible for the presence of these enzymes in food.