sorbic acid

[ sawr-bik ]

noun

, Chemistry.

1. a white, crystalline compound, C 6 H 8 O 2 , slightly soluble in water, soluble in many organic solvents: used as a preservative in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food.

sorbic acid

/ ˈsɔːbɪk /

noun

1. a white crystalline unsaturated carboxylic acid found in berries of the mountain ash and used to inhibit the growth of moulds and as an additive for certain synthetic coatings, as of cheese ( E200 ); 2,4-hexadienoic acid. It exists as cis- and trans- isomers, the latter being the one usually obtained. Formula: CH 3 CH:CHCH:CHCOOH

sorbic acid

/ sôr′bĭk /

1. A white crystalline solid that is found in the berries of the rowan or prepared synthetically and is used as a food preservative and a fungicide. Chemical formula: C 6 H 8 O 2 .

Word History and Origins

Origin of sorbic acid¹

First recorded in 1805–15; sorb ¹ + -ic

Word History and Origins

Origin of sorbic acid¹

C19: from sorb (the tree), from its discovery in the berries of the mountain ash

Example Sentences

It also removed the preservative sorbic acid from the cheese, reducing the time it can remain on restaurant prep tables to four hours from seven.

From Wall Street Journal

Subway plans to eliminate azodicarbonamide from its dough and Kraft Foods Group Inc has said it will remove the preservative sorbic acid from some individually wrapped cheese slices.

From Reuters

Subway plans to eliminate azodicarbonamide from its dough and Kraft Foods has said it will remove the preservative sorbic acid from some individually wrapped cheese slices.

From Reuters

And on Tuesday, Kraft said it was taking sorbic acid, an artificial preservative that had come under attack by consumers, out of some individually wrapped cheese slices.

From New York Times

Kraft  that it’s ditching the artificial preservatives from its American Singles, replacing sorbic acid with natamycin, a “natural mold inhibitor.”

From Salon