E212Preservative
Potassium benzoate
What the research shows
PrototypeNot enough
published research on this page yet
1 health finding on this page so far · See the findings
A preservative made from benzoic acid.
It stops mould, yeast and some bacteria growing in acidic foods and drinks.
Written from English Wikipedia1
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- EU permitted
What research says
Animal and lab studies only
-
Concern
chromosome changes in blood2
In lab studies, potassium benzoate raised chromosome changes in human blood cells but did not damage DNA.
The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least two findings in people. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.
Regulatory status
Checked Sep 2026-
European Union Permitted EUR-Lex Reg. (EC) 1333/2008
-
United Kingdom Permitted FSA retained EU law
-
Canada Permitted Health Canada · Preservatives
Status reflects the named register on the date checked. It is not a safety rating. A country appears here once we've found this ingredient on its official list.
How we checkProducts
The 6 most-scanned of 3,413 products on Open Food Facts that list potassium benzoate.
- Diet Coke Coca-Cola · 355 ml 5 additives
- Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Coca-Cola · 355 ml 5 additives
- Coca-Cola Zero Coca-Cola · 355 ml 5 additives
- Diet Coke Coke · 500 ml 7 additives
- Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Coca-Cola · 20 fl oz 5 additives
- Diet Coke Coca-Cola · 20 fl. oz (591 mL) 5 additives
References
- 1Potassium benzoate. Wikipedia. Accessed September 25, 2026.
- 2Zengin N, Yüzbaşıoğlu D, Unal F, Yılmaz S, Aksoy H. The evaluation of the genotoxicity of two food preservatives: sodium benzoate and potassium benzoate. Food Chem Toxicol. 2011;49(4):763-9. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2010.11.040