This naturally occurring flavoring is derived from fruits such as blackberries and other mountain berries. It helps stabilize and prevent bacterial growth during product usage. Sodium benzoate is a sodium salt that is present at extremely low levels in berries, apples, plums, cinnamon, and several other natural foods. There’s nothing scary about the chemical in these items.
Consumed under normal conditions, it poses no great health dangers, says Don Schaffner, professor of food science at Rutgers University in New Jersey. “Sodium benzoate is still actively being studied, but in a comprehensive review [researchers] concluded that at levels being used in foods it doesn’t pose any health risk.”
The Food and Drug Administration limits sodium benzoate to concentrations of 0.1% by weight. In our Supreme Immune Health Formula gel, it is used in quantities of less than 0.1% to prevent spoilage after the bottle is opened.
Sodium benzoate has been proven to be safe and effective in the amount (0.1%), unheated, for use as a benign preservative. Sodium benzoate has been generally recognized as safe (GRAS) as a direct food additive and recently this status was reaffirmed (21 CFR §184.1733) for use as an antimicrobial agent, as defined in 21 CFR §170.3(o)(2), and as a flavoring agent and adjuvant, as defined in 21 CFR §170.3(o)(12).
(NOTE: A 1993 research paper that listed Sodium Benzoate as hazardous has been found to be inaccurate. Those reports of toxic findings have been shown to be unscientific and misinterpreted; all trials cited involved heat and large amounts of the preservative that far exceeded the 0.1% used in our product.)
Other misinterpreted reports of unfounded scientific studies on sodium benzoate and benzoic acid are also being used as a marketing strategy or ploy by some supplement manufactures to provoke safety concerns just to promote benzoate-free products.
Remember, don’t confuse Sodium Benzoate with Benzene. Benzene is a chemical that has been linked to increased risk of leukemia and other blood cancers. While sodium benzoate doesn’t contain benzene, it can form benzene when combined with ascorbic acid. The Organic Consumers Association says benzene levels between two and 20 parts per billion have been found in some soft drinks containing sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid, also known as vitamin C. The safe level of benzene for drinking water is only five parts per billion, making the amounts of benzene in some soft drinks a health concern.
The Aloe Arborescens-based Supreme Immune Health Formula produced by Deca Aloe Arborescens US LP does not contain any Benzene nor any Ascorbic Acid, also known as viiamin C. You can feel completely safe with our product.
