Table 3.

List of existing food preservatives and their problems.

Preservatives & Chemical Structure	Toxic Effect	Food Products	References
Acetic acid	Breathing difficulty, swelling, irritation	Preserved fish, preserved meat, cooking oil, curry powder, processed cheese, instant puddings, butter, bread, mozzarella cheese, baby food, etc.	[102,103]
Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C)	Nausea, vomiting, headache, heartburn and cramps	Fruit juices, jams, beer, soft drinks, cider, cereals, canned tuna, glaze for frozen fish, etc.	[81]
Benzoic acid	Carcinogenic, irritation, metabolic acidosis, asthma, convulsions, etc.	Fruit juices, soft drinks, coffee extracts, pickles; pineapple marmalade with pectin; relishes; tomato paste; tomato pulp; tomato puree, etc.	[83,84,85]
Sodium benzoate	Allergy, asthma, skin rashes, hyperactivity, liver cirrhosis, Parkinson’s disease, etc.	Chayavanprash, fruit juices, fruit cocktails, tomato ketchup, pasta sauce, milk products, jams, soft drinks, salad dressings, pickles, margarine, etc.	[83,84,85,87]
Citric acid	Numbness, rapid weight gain, cramps, mood changes, severe stomach pain, diarrhea and convulsions, etc.	Fruit juices, soft drinks, meat, frozen food, chips, biscuits, ice creams, soda, wine, etc.	[86]
Formic acid	Nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headache, skin allergy etc.	Livestock feed	[104]
Lactic acid	Brain fog, gas, and bloating	Yoghurt, olives, cucumber pickles, salad dressing, cheese, frozen desserts, soda, etc.	[105]
Potassium lactate	Brain fog, gas, and bloating	Meat and poultry products	[105,106,107,108]
Propionic acid	Corrosive, increase resistance to glucagon, norepinephrine, and insulin	Bakery products, gelatin, milk, and milk products such as cheese, yoghurt, etc.	[87,109]
Sorbic acid	Contact dermatitis and urticarial, etc.	Fruit juice, wine, jams, jellies, margarine, meat products, cakes, sauces, processed cheese, salads, etc.	[87]
Potassium Sorbate	Contact dermatitis and urticarial, etc.	Karela amla juice, Amla-Aloe vera juice with wheatgrass, milk products, etc.	[87]
Sulphur dioxide/Sulphites Potassium bisulfate	Allergic reactions (nausea, skin irritation, asthma, eczema, diarrhea)	Fruit juices, cider, wines, meat products, sausages, sweets, jams, jellies, glucose syrups, dry biscuits, dry mix of rasogollas, refined sugar, misri, jaggery, glucose syrup, potatoes, beverages, raisins, pickles, chutneys, etc.	[87]
Nitrites & Nitrates (Sodium & Potassium)	Genotoxicity, carcinogenic (stomach and pancreatic cancer)	Meat products, hot dog, smoked fish, and many others	[87,110]
BHA   BHT	Endocrine disruptors, neurological problems, metabolic dysfunction, behavioral issues, and may cause cancer	Hot dogs, meat, potato chips, chewing gum, vegetable oils, bread, breakfast cereals, and many others	[111]
Triclosan	Antibiotic resistance in bacteria, endocrine disruptor, skin sensitization, neuro-toxicity, reproductive and developmental toxicity, genotoxicity, carcinogenicity, phototoxicity, etc.	Active food packaging	[49,111,112]
Nisin	Nausea, pruritus, skin rash and vomiting, etc.	Prepacked coconut water, canned rasgulla, baking mixes containing egg, etc.	[113]
Dehyderoacetic acid (DHA)	Allergic contact dermatitis	Cheese, meat products, squash, etc.	[114]
Erythorbic acid	Hypersensitivity, nausea, vomiting, headache, diarrhea, heartburn, and cramps	Meat, frozen fruits and vegetables, beverages such as soft drinks, fruit juice, grape wine, beer, etc.	[115]
Dimethyl dicarbonate (DMDC)	Carcinogenic	Non-alcoholic beverages such as sports drinks, energy drinks and non-carbonated drinks such as ice tea, etc.	[116,117,118]