Can The Product Added With Sodium Dehydroacetate Still Be Eaten?

Previously, there was a heated discussion online about sodium dehydroacetate as a preservative, with most voices believing that if sodium dehydroacetate is ingested from baked goods for a long time, its toxicity will cause harm to human health.In recent days, we have visited some supermarkets, chain bakeries, milk tea shops, filling enterprises, etc. in Xi'an, and have not found any trace of sodium dehydroacetate in the packaging products.

1: What is sodium dehydroacetate?

According to experts from the Municipal Food and Drug Inspection Institute, Sodium Dehydroacetate is a broad-spectrum preservative with particularly strong inhibitory effects on mold and yeast. At the same dosage, the antibacterial effect is several times or even tens of times higher than the widely used sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate. What is particularly valuable is that it has little inhibitory effect on acid producing bacteria, especially lactic acid bacteria. According to the relevant national standards (old standards) and the recommendations of the FCC of the United States, it is applicable to the anti-corrosion and mildew prevention of Fermented bean curd, assorted Pickled vegetables, pickles, pickled Chinese cabbage, raw fruit juice, concentrated fruit juice, fruit wine, cheese, cream, margarine, yogurt, lactic acid drinks, carbonated drinks, bean paste, bread, moon cakes, cakes, sweet paste, cans, condiments, health products, cosmetics and other products. Especially for lactic acid drinks, pickles, pickled Chinese cabbage, Pickled vegetables and other products that need to inhibit other harmful bacteria as far as possible, but less inhibit beneficial lactic acid bacteria, they can effectively and selectively inhibit the growth of mold, yeast and bacteria. In addition, they are less affected by the acidity and alkalinity of food, and can maintain high antibacterial effect under acidic or slightly alkaline conditions. At the same time, its antibacterial ability is still superior to sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, calcium propionate, etc. Therefore, it is widely used in the food processing industry, such as cakes, jams and Pickled vegetables, to extend the shelf life of food.

2：Why is the standard for using sodium dehydroacetate adjusted?

Experts say that there are generally two reasons for the National Food Safety Risk Assessment Center to re evaluate a food additive: first, new evidence has been discovered in terms of safety, which requires re evaluation; Secondly, there is a change in the structure of food consumption. When the consumption of a certain type of food increases from less to more, it is necessary to consider whether the accumulation of a certain food additive will exceed the safety limit. In recent years, the consumption of baked goods in China has steadily increased. Industry data shows that over 90% of consumers currently purchase baked goods every week. So, in order to avoid risks, it is reasonable for the new standard to ban sodium dehydroacetate in baked goods. However, the market regulatory authorities have also stated that sodium dehydroacetate is not completely banned and is still allowed to be used as a food additive in pickled vegetables, fermented soy products, and other foods. According to the risk assessment results, sodium dehydroacetate is still safe for normal use and within the prescribed dosage range, and will not cause significant harm to human health. Consumers can pay attention to checking the production date and ingredient list of the product when purchasing: if the production date of the product is after February 8, 2025, its ingredient list should not contain sodium dehydroacetate. If the production date of the product is before February 8, 2025, it may still contain sodium dehydroacetate, but as long as it meets the regulatory standards at that time, these products are safe to consume within their shelf life.

3：Why is sodium dehydroacetate still allowed in pickled vegetables?

On the one hand, it is because they do not account for a large proportion in our daily diet, and using them within the prescribed standards is definitely safe. On the other hand, the preservative effect of sodium dehydroacetate cannot be underestimated, especially in meat and soy products, where its antibacterial ability is much better than that of commonly used potassium sorbate.

4：How should food companies respond to this adjustment?

Bread with a short shelf life is basically not affected, but for enterprises such as bread, pastries, and pre made filling processing with a longer shelf life, the ban on sodium dehydroacetate has a more significant impact.
Since May last year, we have gradually replaced sodium dehydroacetate with potassium sorbate, and our entire product line no longer uses sodium dehydroacetate. The destructive tests conducted simultaneously show that the product quality can continue to remain stable, and the overall cost does not change much. "Mr. Zhao, the deputy general manager of a food enterprise, introduced that for some categories of products, due to their special properties, the anti-corrosion effect may be slightly" discounted "by replacing them with other preservatives such as potassium sorbate - that is to say, the possibility of swelling and mold during the original shelf life will increase. The withdrawal of sodium dehydroacetate from baking products may pose higher technical and process requirements for the production and processing of food enterprises, "Manager Zhao added. Common food preservation processes, such as nitrogen filling, deoxygenation, freezing, hot packaging, secondary sterilization, pH adjustment, and reducing water activity, can all ensure food safety to a certain extent while reducing additives.
Previously, we used sodium dehydroacetate in more than ten types of cake products, and now we have adjusted the food additive formula of related products. Mr. Yang, the administrative director of a large food chain enterprise, told a newspaper reporter that the company has been adjusting its production process and formula since March last year. Currently, all sodium dehydroacetate has been replaced with potassium trichloride, and by November last year, all sodium dehydroacetate in use had been replaced.
Not only in the baking industry, sodium dehydroacetate is also used in the production of meat products. Although the new national standard does not prohibit its use in meat products, after the implementation of the new regulations, many supermarkets and online shopping platforms have banned products containing sodium dehydroacetate from entering the market. Some meat product enterprises in our city have also made corresponding adjustments. Mr. Huang, the general manager of a meat product production and processing enterprise, stated in an interview with a newspaper reporter that they have replaced preservatives with Streptococcus lactiae in production, and have also updated packaging materials. Basically, all old packaging with the addition of sodium dehydroacetate printed on it has been scrapped.

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