Common Food Preservatives and What They Do

When most people think of food preservation, their minds immediately focus on chemicals. While chemicals are a huge contributor to preserving the foods we would like to savor for more than two days, physical methods of preserving, such as refrigeration and canning, are also essential. 

Today, most manufacturers rely on both types of preservation to keep foods as fresh as possible for the longest amount of time. Food ingredient distributor Bell Chem’s strong inventory of preservatives will ensure your company has the proper tools to keep consumer foods, beverages, pharmaceuticals, and other products on the shelves of local stores for as long as possible. 

Food preservation is far from a new process. Ancient preservation techniques, such as rubbing salt into slabs of meat or drying fruits and vegetables, are still in use today. Modern methods of preservation include many of the pure ingredients from Bell Chem’s immense inventory, which are broadly categorized as either antioxidant or antimicrobial. Antioxidants are preservatives that prevent oxidation, which causes browning in fruit or odd flavors in packaged foods. Common antioxidants include the following:

• Ascorbic acid: Bell Chem’s ascorbic acid reduces oxidation in cheeses and snack chips. 

• Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT, the powdered form of BHA): Commonly added to personal care products, butter and oils, beer, nuts, and snack foods.

• Chelating agents: Disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and citric acid bind to metal ions and prevent oxidation. 

• Sulfites: Added to wines and dried fruits, sulfites maintain the natural color of products.

• Vitamin E and rosemary oil: Natural antioxidants found in cereals and oils. 

Antimicrobial preservatives prevent the growth and proliferation of bacteria, mold, and yeast. Here are some examples of antimicrobial preservatives:

• Benzoic acid and benzoates: Jams, jellies and juices, carbonated beverages, and fermented foods benefit from the addition of Bell Chem’s benzoic acid.

• Lactic acid: Found primarily in dairy products, lactic acid keeps these products fresher longer.

• Nitrites and nitrates: Bell Chem’s sodium nitrite is ideal for preservation of many varieties of meat.

• Propionic acid and sodium propionate: As an ingredient, propionic acid repels bacterial growth in bakery items.

• Sorbic acid and sorbates: Much like propionic acid, sorbic acid is often a preservative in baked goods. It can also be found in wine and cheese.

Bell Chem is a food ingredient distributor based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, dozens of high-quality preservatives. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

The Many Uses of Baking Soda

Sodium bicarbonate is a ubiquitous part of every food and beverage industry’s supply closet, but this versatile chemical from your industrial ingredient supplier Bell Chem has uses across industries. Known commonly as baking soda and chemically as NaHCO3, baking soda enables uses for stabilization of pH and neutralization of acids, and other aspects of its chemical makeup give it qualities that render it popular in factories and companies worldwide. 

While many products boast the ability to mask odors with a flowery or less pungent odor, baking soda chemically neutralizes odors. For this reason you will find baking soda in kitty litter, bath salts, body powders, and deodorants. Many basic chemicals are neutralized when an acid is present, creating a more stable pH while compromising the base. In contrast, baking soda retains its pH of 8.1 as it raises the pH levels of acids within a solution. 

Pharmaceutical products find uses for baking soda as an ingredient and curative. Combining baking soda’s easily compressible nature — it tabletizes into recognizable round discs — with its ability to neutralize acids, baking soda is a primary ingredient in chewable antacids. 

Another nifty effect of using baking soda is the saponification of grease and fat into a by-product easily dissolved in water. Many cleaning products and grease eradicators list baking soda as an ingredient. As we know, baking soda and kitchens are inseparable. Refrigerators rely on an open box to absorb odors, and chefs use baking soda as a leavening agent for baked goods in everything from apple loaves to ziti. Add a simple acid such as lemon juice to baking soda along with other ingredients and the result is a carbon dioxide-infused food that will release CO2 as it bakes, creating a light, airy bakery item.

This release of carbon dioxide does more than make bread rise, though. The use of baking soda in fire extinguishers is well studied. Because CO2 is released from baking soda, it chemically impedes the existence of oxygen in an area. Without oxygen, fires are quickly smothered. This same release of carbon dioxide is used in the manufacture of rubbers and plastics, since it is ideal at the moment plastic and rubber are molded.

The slightly abrasive crystalline structure of baking soda is often added to cleaners for soft or sensitive industrial surfaces. This same quality in facial cleansers and toothpaste aid in removing grease, dirt, and plaque easily and painlessly. Baking soda added to a high-pressure hose cleans buildings, removes debris, and can strip coatings from most surfaces. Textiles such as wool, silk, and leather use baking soda as a pH balancer and catalyst for chemical reactions. While many of the reactions would occur naturally for these textiles, baking soda expedites the process.

Learn more about our chemicals by reading our blogs. Bell Chem is your industrial ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including baking soda. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

Triple-Pressed Stearic Acid

Stearic acid, or octadecanoic acid, is a common saturated fatty acid with the chemical formula C₁₇H₃₅COOH. The addition of “triple-pressed” denotes a more refined stearic acid that, when compared to double-pressed stearic acid, has a significantly lower iodine content. Food ingredient supplier Bell Chem carries 3 types of stearic acid in its expansive inventory: powdered, flaked, and our featured product, triple-pressed stearic acid. 

Stearic acid occurs naturally in both plants and animals as a glycerol bound to a fatty acid chain. It has abundant uses across industries. Up to 30% of animal fat is composed of stearic acid while less than 5% vegetable oil is stearic acid. Most vegetable-based stearic acids used industrially are from palm oil; plant-based triple-pressed stearic acid is a white, waxy solid. Animal-based stearic acid is readily recognized as tallow.

Here are some examples of how to use triple-pressed stearic acid:

• Triple-pressed stearic acid has a distinct odor and is not generally added directly to foods as a flavor enhancer. The properties it possesses as a lubricant, emulsifier, and softener give it ideal uses for chewing gum. Because stearic acid is present in animal fats, most animal-based products from milk and cheese to raw chicken and chicken tenders contain stearic acid. It is also present in grains, so baked goods and nuts also contain a small amount of natural stearic acid. 

• It is a key ingredient in the creation of stearates, such as calcium stearate, magnesium stearate, potassium stearate, and sodium stearate. Along with stearates, triple-pressed stearic acid helps produce a long list of emulsifiers, including monoglycerides, polysorbates, and sucrose esters of fatty acids.  

• If you ever wondered how grocery store fruits maintain their fresh appearance after they have been cut and arranged on a party tray, you can thank stearic acid. When combined with other additives, stearic acid acts as a barrier to prevent the loss of water from the fruit to its environment. This coating process extends to candy and chocolate products.

• Cosmetics find stearic acid a powerhouse for its varied functions. Along with acting as a barrier for the skin – much like with fruit – it prevents drying of damaged skin. Shampoo and conditioner with triple-pressed stearic acid as an ingredient leave hair feeling soft and fuller. By acting as an emulsifier, stearic acid stabilizes and thickens lotions and ointments. Customers enjoy the fresh, cool feel of stearic acid on their skin. In bar soap, stearic acid creates a creamy lather, which makes it perfect for another product – shaving cream. 

• The thickening action of stearic acid gives it a starring role in the manufacture of candles. A soft candle burns more rapidly, so adding triple-pressed stearic acid will solidify the candle while it stabilizes the candle’s aroma, giving a long-lasting candle that holds its fragrance from one use to the next. 

• The coating action of stearic acid on foods becomes a lubricating action when applied to pharmaceutical products, such as capsules and tablets. 

Food ingredient supplier Bell Chem is based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including triple-pressed stearic acid. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

Water Treatment Chemicals

Clean water is closely associated with good health. In the United States, our water is considered among the safest in the world due to the different processes used to clean and decontaminate it before it reaches the general public. Water treatment chemical supplier Bell Chem’s strong line of water treatment products will ensure the safe consumption of your water. 

Before water is disinfected, any unwanted materials are removed. Generally speaking, the preferred method of clearing waterborne debris is coagulation and flocculation. Positively charged chemicals such as Bell Chem’s aluminum sulfate, ferric sulfate, or sodium aluminate are added to raw water. Unwanted dissolved particulate matter often carries a negative charge, so the ionic bonds formed between the opposing charges cause the debris to clump into much larger, heavier pieces. The weight of the waste material sinks to the bottom to be removed. 

The water is then physically filtered through a variety of sand, gravel, and charcoal filters with varied pore sizes to collect any non flocculated material. As the water is filtered, it is often treated with a disinfectant, such as chlorine, hydrogen peroxide, or sodium hypochlorite, all part of Bell Chem’s water treatment chemical lineup. These disinfectants are strong enough to kill salmonella, norovirus, and other harmful microbes. Their power lasts beyond the initial addition, though, by protecting water from infestation until the time it reaches a home’s faucet.

Selecting chemicals to adjust wastewater pH requires considering the chemical makeup of the wastewater. Fresh water should be a neutral pH of 7, but within a water treatment plant the pH will vary from acidic to basic depending on the chemical composition of the water. Because microbes prefer a limited pH range, adding an acid or base to the water will significantly change the overall pH, creating an inhospitable environment for dangerous microbes. Good choices for pH adjusters include 93% sulfuric acid (diluted concentrations are corrosive), calcium oxide (lime), and magnesium hydroxide.

While different sources of water across the United States demand a variety of treatments – ground water is less polluted than water from a river, for instance – all potable water needs to be safe. How important is access to safe water? Statistics prove close to 3.5 million people a year perish due to a lack of clean drinking water. 

Keep your water safe with quality products from water treatment chemical supplier Bell Chem. Bell Chem is based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including a vast selection of water treatment chemicals. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

What is Sodium Benzoate EDF Food Grade

Sodium benzoate, NaC7H5O2, is a food additive that primarily acts as a preservative. Unlike many other additives, sodium benzoate EDF food grade has no natural equal; it is the chemical combination of benzoic acid and sodium hydroxide. While benzoic acid, which is formed naturally in many plants, is a natural preservative, the addition of sodium hydroxide allows it to easily dissolve during the production of processed foods. Bell Chem, your food ingredient supplier, carries EDF food grade sodium benzoate for foods, beverages, personal care products, and pharmaceuticals.

Sodium benzoate in food

Sodium benzoate has a long history as a food additive. In fact, it was the first preservative the FDA permitted to be used in foods. Widely used in foods and beverages, sodium benzoate is the preservative of choice in pickled and fermented products, jellies and jams, salad dressing and mayonnaise, lemon juice, low- and no-alcohol beer, and carbonated beverages – the latter due to the increasing demand of high-fructose corn syrup. Sodium benzoate has been found to be extremely effective in foods with pH levels below 6.5.

Sodium benzoate in medications

Medications, whether prescription or over-the-counter, utilize sodium benzoate EDF food grade as a preservative. Particularly prevalent in liquid medication such as cough syrup, it is also an ingredient added in solid medicines, such as tablets and pills. The addition of sodium benzoate adds a smooth, transparent finish that gives medications an easier time passing through the esophagus and a faster break-down time within the stomach. 

Medically, a physician may recommend an infusion of sodium benzoate to treat dangerously high ammonia levels within the blood. 

Sodium benzoate in cosmetics

Cosmetics also find great uses of sodium benzoate as a preservative. Much like with foods and beverages, the shelf life of cosmetics is extended with the powerful ability of sodium benzoate EDF food grade to repel bacterial and fungal infestations. Hair products, personal disposable wipes, and oral products contain sodium benzoate.

Food ingredient supplier Bell Chem is based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including sodium benzoate EDF food grade. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

Caustic Cleaners

Caustic cleaners have been in existence for millenia. In fact, evidence of soap fragments found in ancient dwellings has been dated to around 2800 BC! Industrial ingredient supplier Bell Chem stocks a variety of caustic cleaners, such as CSAN 2170 Caustic Blend (Proprietary Blend) for your cleaning needs. 

These types of cleaners contain caustic soda (sodium hydroxide), potassium hydroxide, or caustic potash. Most caustic cleaners are utilized to remove protein-based debris. These chemicals are defined by their ability to dissolve other substances – think of bleach, which contains sodium hydroxide. Caustic cleaners are generally sold as solids in a granular, pellet, or flake form, or as a concentrated liquid. 

With their ability to significantly change the pH of the areas they contact, caustic cleaners are often used as disinfectants. Bacteria, fungi, yeasts, viruses, and endotoxins are virtually eradicated with caustic cleaners. Here are some of the common uses:

• Caustic cleaners are used worldwide within industries such as hospitals, restaurants, food and beverage industries, and processing plants. 

• Oven cleaners and drain cleaners often contain caustic chemicals where they hydrolyze solid fats and act as a reagent as they cause a chemical reaction called saponification. The chemical bonds of protein-based products are broken apart to quickly remove them from solid surfaces or industrial machinery.

• Industrial plants that focus on meat-packing rely heavily on caustic cleaners to maintain their machinery and keep their workplaces clean. Caustic cleaners are effective and efficient, saving money and resources.

• Hand soap contains either sodium hydroxide (commonly referred to as “lye”) or potassium hydroxide as a main ingredient. Sodium hydroxide creates a harder bar soap while potassium hydroxide produces a creamy, liquid soap.

Because of their power, caustic cleaners also have risks. Use caution with caustic cleaners; the ability to break down proteins causes them to irritate the skin and mucous membranes, meaning they can produce severe burns on the skin and, when inhaled, in the lungs. Always use properly fitting goggles when handling any caustic chemicals since eye irritation could lead to blindness. Read all chemical labels and MSD guides to fully understand the proper handling and use of caustic cleaners and all other chemicals.

Bell Chem is an industrial ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including CSANTM sanitation products. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

BC Surfactant NP-9

In order to discuss the merits of industrial ingredient supplier Bell Chem’s Surfactant NP-9 (Nonylphenol Ethoxylate), it is important to break down the individual portions of its name to determine what exactly this versatile chemical is capable of performing for your industry.  

First, a surfactant is a chemical that reduces the surface tension of the solvent in which it is placed. Without surface tension, any additional chemicals are absorbed within the liquid much more easily and rapidly. Dye added to a fabric tends to mottle the area in which it was initially placed. Adding a surfactant spreads the dye more evenly throughout the liquid, thereby giving the fabric an even color.

The number ‘9’ within the product’s name focuses on bond placement. NP-9 means the structure of BC Surfactant NP-9 contains a chain of 9 carbon molecules for its tail. A molecule’s shape is important since different forms give rise to different functions. For NP-9, its structure gives it the ability to be both hydrophilic and hydrophobic, depending on the direction of the molecule. This aids in removing water from some areas while adding water to others, leveling the wetness distribution.

Nonylphenol ethoxylates are metabolites of alkylphenol ethoxylates. They are light orange in color, fading to almost clear in liquid form. Because they are nonionic (they hold no charge), they work well in “hard” water. Their non-charged molecules are resistant to being deactivated in water containing strong metals, such as magnesium or calcium. Therefore, nonylphenol ethoxylates are generally used in detergents, dishwashing, laundry and on kitchen or bathroom fixtures that are in repeated contact with hard water. They quickly snag and surround substances with oil or grease bases, removing them from fabric, pipes or porcelain to be washed away.

BC Surfactant NP-9 has uses across industries. It is regularly found in the following products as a surfactant:

• paints and wood finishes

• personal hygiene products 

• lawn care products

• pesticides

• drain cleaners

• laundry detergents

• metal working

Find more about BC Surfactant NP-9 and other chemicals in Bell Chem’s vast inventory by visiting our website. Bell Chem is a sanitation chemical supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including CSANTM sanitation products. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

When to Use Granulated Sugar

The holidays are just around the corner, and professional bakers around the globe are prepping their kitchens to create the perfect culinary delights for their customers. From baklava for Hanukkah to chocolate fruit cake for Kwanzaa, winter months are resplendent in delicious desserts. At Bell Chem, your food ingredient distributor, we want to go over different varieties of sugar and explain how each one can enhance holiday baking in an industrial kitchen. 

• Brown sugar: Almost every professional baker stocks brown sugar and granulated sugar in their kitchens. How do these differ? Brown sugar is simply granulated sugar with molasses. Why would you add molasses to sugar? You don’t. Sugar sources naturally contain molasses, which is removed for refined sugars. Light brown sugar, not surprisingly, has less molasses per volume than dark brown sugar.

• Granulated sugar: Granulated sugar has various sized grains (both words are derived from the Latin granum) that can mean the difference between confectioner’s sugar and turbinado (raw or unrefined) sugar.

Granulated sugar is 99.95% sucrose, whether it is derived from beets or sugarcane. This form is by far the most popular form used by professional bakers since it’s easy to use in all applications from main meat courses to desserts. Sugar is hygroscopic, meaning it tends to collect water, which keeps bakery items fresher longer. This fact is also handy when sugar is an ingredient in a sauce since it acts as a thickener, although sugar may clump when left on the shelf for an extended time. However, sugar, like salt and honey, does not spoil. 

Regardless of the variety, sugar decelerates the formation of gluten in wheat flour, causing goods to be softer, lighter, and have a more delicate texture.

• Confectioner’s sugar: Powdered sugar is the top ingredient in candy making and icings. Many baked goods are often dusted with confectioner’s sugar. Powdered sugar is rated 10X, 6X, XXX or XX, with 10X being ground to the finest consistency. While 10X will give foods (especially frostings) a creamy mouthfeel, it is often too fine-grained to dust atop baked goods since it dissolves. Confectioner’s sugar contains 3%-5% cornstarch to prevent clumping.

• Superfine sugar: Known as baker’s sugar, caster sugar, or ultrafine sugar, the grains are still crystalline, but not quite as finely ground as confectioner’s sugar. Superfine sugar dissolves more rapidly and gives baked goods a finer texture. 

• Raw granulated sugar: Also called turbinado or demerara sugar, raw sugars contain molasses, but are dry crystals rather than thick, clumpy brown sugar. Raw sugar adds texture and crunch to the top of baked goods, and is often added to hot or cold beverages.

• Decorative sugars: Many forms of sugar abound to decorate foods and beverages. Among these are sanding sugar and pearl sugar. Pearl sugar has large, opaque grains similar to salt while sanding sugar is shimmery and clear. 

Discover more about industrial baking ingredients by reading Bell Chem’s blog. Bell Chem is a food ingredient distributor based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including many varieties of sugar. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

How to Use Calcium Carbonate

Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) is one of those ubiquitous chemicals we take for granted. Nearly 4% of the Earth’s crust is composed of calcium carbonate, and the majority of that is derived from the breakdown of prehistoric animals. Find out how Tampa food ingredient supplier Bell Chem’s pure calcium carbonate can enhance your enterprise. 

With time and pressure, calcium carbonate transforms into limestone, chalk, and dolomite, although dolomite contains magnesium carbonates as well as calcium carbonate. Each of these types of calcium carbonate has different functions.

• As a filler: Calcium carbonate bulks up costlier products, making them less expensive without impeding the integrity of the product. Approximately 30% of the weight of many paints is calcium carbonate. Used as an ingredient in adhesives, coatings, paints, paper, plastic, and sealants, it also brightens these products as it acts as a coating pigment. 

• As a brightener: The paper industry relies on calcium carbonate for bright white opaque paper because of its light scattering capabilities.

• As a dietary supplement: The strong hydrochloric acid in the human stomach is neutralized with a calcium carbonate supplement in the form of an antacid. Calcium carbonate also bonds with phosphate or another base component to create supplements or medicine in tablet form. Animal feeds, such as chicken crumble, also contain calcium carbonate; in this case it aids in the production of strong shells. For other animals, it maintains pH levels and supplements the dietary needs of animals.

• As a pH balancer: Many products, such as baking powder or toothpaste, find calcium carbonate a reliable remedy for escalating acidity. Even foods and beverages, such as dessert mixes, dough products, and wine, contain calcium carbonate for this reason. In man made water systems and wastewater plants, calcium carbonate also maintains a proper pH balance.

• As a water treatment: As the Earth becomes more polluted with acid rain, many lakes and ponds are no longer able to properly support life. Scientists have found that infusing these waters with powdered calcium carbonate prevents these ecosystems from dying. 

• As a building material: Calcium carbonate is a beautiful mineral used for building and facades in the form of marble. It is also added to cement and mortar as foundations and bonders. As it decomposes, it releases lime, which is used in the manufacture of glass, paper, and steel.

 Bell Chem is your Tampa food ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including calcium carbonate. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

What is Potassium Sorbate

Potassium sorbate is a unique chemical whose synthetic equivalent, produced from potassium hydroxide and sorbic acid, is deemed “nature identical” because its shape and chemical behavior mimic the natural form found in fruits, such as the mountain ash or rowan berry. Bell Chem, the food ingredient distributor, has information on potassium sorbate to help you decide how your business or industry can utilize this important ingredient.

The main function of potassium sorbate is to control bacteria, which it has done successfully  since its discovery in the 1850s in France. Once bacteria and other microbial growth are eliminated, the shelf life of products lengthens considerably. You will find potassium sorbate on the list of ingredients across industries in products consumed by humans, such as food, beverages, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. Animals also consume potassium sorbate in feed and kibble. Because potassium sorbate has been researched and used more than 50 years across industries, it has a proven record of effectiveness. 

• In foods and beverages, potassium sorbate eliminates the growth of bacteria, fungi, mold, and yeast while not affecting the taste, smell, or appearance of products. Even better, potassium sorbate is active at room temperature and is soluble in water. Potassium sorbate can be found in carbonated beverages, baked goods, dried meats and fruits, fermented foods, canned fruits and vegetables, dairy products (cheese, yogurt, and ice cream), fish products (roe, garum, fish patties, and artificial crab), and wines and juices. Wines and other fermented foods and beverages benefit from potassium sorbate’s antimicrobial powers because it stops yeast from reacting with products upon its addition to the finished bottle.

• Animal feeds often utilize potassium sorbate as a preservative. It is often found on the ingredient label of moist pet foods and in commercial animal feed.

• In cosmetics, look for potassium sorbate in eyeshadow, makeup, lotions, and creams as an antimicrobial and preservative. It is also available in hair products such as shampoos, in sunscreen, and in contact lens solution, where it prevents bacterial growth on lenses. Many products with high water content will contain potassium sorbate.

• Dietary supplements often include potassium sorbate to extend shelf life.

Bell Chem is a food ingredient distributor based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including potassium sorbate. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.