Sodium Bisulfite
Preservatives
Potentially Harmful
Details
Definition
A chemical sulfite used as a preservative. Sulphites are used to prevent the browning of foods, as bleaching agents, as dough conditioning agents, to prevent excess alkalinity of foods, as food processing aids, color stabilizers and antioxidants.
AKAs
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Health Impact
Sulfites can inhibit the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, with this damage leading to other diseases. Some people are sensitive to sulfites and can have serious reactions to them ranging from wheezing to potentially life-threatening anaphylactic reactions. As a result, sulfites should be avoided by anyone with a sulfite allergy or sensitivity. People with asthma have between a 1 in 20 to 1 in 100 chance to having a sulfite reaction.
Sources
Scientific Opinion on the re-evaluation of sulfur dioxide (E 220), sodium sulfite (E 221), sodium bisulfite (E 222), sodium metabisulfite (E 223), potassium metabisulfite (E 224), calcium sulfite (E 226), calcium bisulfite (E 227) and potassium bisulfite (E 228) as food additives
https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2016.4438Sulfites inhibit the growth of four species of beneficial gut bacteria at concentrations regarded as safe for food
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5646858/Sulfite Sensitivity
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/11323-sulfite-sensitivityReading ingredients made easy. For quicker, healthier decisions.
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