Sodium sorbate is the

sodium Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na (from Latin ''natrium'') and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal. Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 of the periodic table. Its only stable ...

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...

sorbic acid Sorbic acid, or 2,4-hexadienoic acid, is a natural organic compound used as a food preservative. It has the chemical formula and the structure . It is a colourless solid that is slightly soluble in water and sublimes readily. It was first isol ...

. It is an unstable white solid. Unlike other sorbic acid salts such as

potassium sorbate Potassium sorbate is the potassium salt of sorbic acid, chemical formula CH3CH=CH−CH=CH−CO2K. It is a white salt that is very soluble in water (58.2% at 20 °C). It is primarily used as a food preservative (E number 202). Potassium so ...

(E202) and

calcium sorbate Calcium sorbate is the calcium salt of sorbic acid. Calcium sorbate is a polyunsaturated fatty acid salt. It is a commonly used food preservative; its E number E numbers ("E" stands for "Europe") are codes for substances used as food ad ...

(E203), the use of sodium sorbate as a food additive is not allowed in the EU due to potential genotoxic effects.EFSA Journal 2015
/ref> Its

E-number E numbers ("E" stands for "Europe") are codes for substances used as food additives, including those found naturally in many foods such as vitamin C, for use within the European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Commonly f ...

is E201.

References

Organic sodium salts Sorbates {{organic-compound-stub