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Sodium Metabisulfite
Sodium Metabisulfite
Sodium Metabisulfite
What is it:
Sodium metabisulfite is a food additive commonly used as a preservative and antioxidant in the food industry. It extends the shelf life of food products by inhibiting the growth of bacteria and yeast and preventing enzymatic browning and oxidation in fruits and vegetables. It is typically produced by mixing sodium carbonate with sulfur dioxide gas under carefully controlled conditions. This chemical reaction yields sodium metabisulfite. It is commonly used in wine and dried fruits.
Rating:
Sodium metabisulphite is sulphite additive that has been associated with negative health effects in rat studies, including affecting heart function, inducing apoptosis of gastric cells, and having a prooxidant effect in the liver and kidney. Due to many reported adverse reactions such as anaphylactic and asthmatic reactions with increased use of sulphites in the 1970’s and ‘80’s, the FDA banned the use of sulphites in fresh fruits and vegetables. Sodium metabisulphite is also a known contact allergen for some people.
Resources:
- Sodium metabisulphite decreases heart capillary volume and length in rats (animal study)
- Sodium metabisulphite has cytotoxic effects on human cells (in vitro study)
- FDA approval of sodium metabisulfite
- Sodium metabisulfite induces lipid peroxidation and apoptosis in rat gastric tissue (animal study)
- The prooxidant effect of sodium metabisulfite in rat liver and kidney (animal study)
- Sodium metabisulfite alters cellular excitability and excitotoxicity in rats (animal study)
- Sodium metabisulfite as a contact allergen
- Adverse reactions to sulphite additives prompts FDA to prohibit use on fresh fruits and vegetables
How we rate ingredients
Health is like a bank account, certain ingredients make a deposit into your health bank, meaning they add to
your health. Certain ingredients withdraw from your health bank. We want health promoting ingredients in our diet. To keep things simple, we rate ingredients on a green, yellow, red scale:
Clean
It is naturally occurring in food and has no harmful effects on the body. It is real food. It is health promoting.
Caution
It goes into one or more of the below categories
- It is not naturally occurring in food but doesn’t have data showing it has a harmful effect on the body (additives like Gellan Gum)
- It is naturally occurring but can have some harmful effects on the body (added sugars, oils, gums etc.)
We Avoid
It is known to have a harmful effect on the body (ex. All food colorings, Natural Flavors, MSG, Potassium bromate, aspartame, artificial flavors)
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