Sobre o E211 que me apareceu como conservante nuns insuspeitos pickles de manga picantes indianos (bem salgados por sinal):
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_benzoate
Referências finais interessantes: (como funciona como conservante - alterando a alcalinidade) e interacções com outros ingredientes (Vitamina C ou E300 e outros), formação de benzeno (potencialmente cancerígeno) e a remoção generalizada de bebidas.
Citando:
"[Mecanismo de preservação] The mechanism starts with the absorption of benzoic acid into the cell. If the intracellular pH falls to 5 or lower, the anaerobic fermentation of glucose through phosphofructokinase decreases sharply, which inhibits the growth and survival of microorganisms that cause food spoilage."
(...)
"A paper published in the March 2015 Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture found that sodium benzoate has been replaced by potassium sorbate in the majority of soft drinks in the United Kingdom to avoid the use of anything the consumer might consider an additive, particularly in connection with colours and preservatives.
Association with benzene in soft drinks:
In combination with ascorbic acid (vitamin C, E300), sodium benzoate and potassium benzoate may form benzene, a known carcinogen. When tested by the FDA, most beverages that contained both ascorbic acid and benzoate had benzene levels that were below those considered dangerous for consumption by the World Health Organization (5 ppb).
Most of the beverages that tested higher have been reformulated and subsequently tested below the safety limit.
Heat, light and shelf life can increase the rate at which benzene is formed."
Fonte: Wikipedia (e cada uma das frases tem citação disponível no artigo original, editado por brevidade).
Actualizado: 2017-01-31 com detalhes do mec.pres. e benzeno.
