Naturally occurring benzoic, sorbic, and propionic acid in vegetables

ABSTRACTBenzoic, sorbic and propionic acid are used as preservatives in foods and can also be naturally present in processed foods. The levels of preservatives in 939 vegetables were determined. Benzoic and sorbic acid were analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography with a diode-array detector and further confirmed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, whereas propionic acid was analysed using a gas chromatography-flame ionization detector and further confirmed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Benzoic and propionic acid were found in 10.9% and 36.2%, respectively, of the samples. In contrast, sorbic acid was not found in any of the samples. The highest amounts of benzoic and propionic acid were found in perilla leaves (0.33−298 mg kg–1) and ginseng (

Keywords:

• Preservative
• Ginseng
• Mass spectrometry
• Sorbic acid
• Chemistry
• Benzoic acid
• Chromatography
• Food science
• Food processing

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