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E200Preservative

Sorbic acid

What the research shows

Prototype

Concerning

in studies of people

1 of 2 health findings on this page · See the findings

A natural preservative from rowan berries.

It is put in food to preserve it.

Written from Open Food Facts and English Wikipedia12

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
  • EU permitted

What research says

Studies in people

  • Concern

    Type 2 diabetes risk4

    In women, higher levels of sorbic acid in the blood were linked to more new cases of diabetes.

Animal and lab studies only

  • Concern

    Immune response6

    In lab studies, sorbic acid weakened the immune response in human blood cells.

How it’s made and used

  • Daily intake limits3

    Sorbic acid intake stayed well below the recommended daily limit, even when people always chose foods containing it.

  • Preservative intake in children5

    In Taiwan, sorbic acid intake in young children stayed well below the level health officials consider acceptable.

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

Status reflects the named register on the date checked. It is not a safety rating.

How we check

Products

The 6 most-scanned of 7,838 products on Open Food Facts that list sorbic acid.

  • gnocchi di patate RUMMO · 500 g 2 additives
  • Sourdough bagels Fitzgeralds Sourdough Bagels · 425 g 3 additives
  • Seeded Rye Bread Baker Street · 500 g 3 additives
  • Peanut Butter Crunch Fleischer · 1pcs 10 additives
  • English Muffin Thomas' · 13 oz, 6 muffins 3 additives
  • Potato Gnocchi ITALIAMO · 200 gram 2 additives

References

  1. 1Sorbic acid: ingredient taxonomy entry. Open Food Facts.
  2. 2Sorbic acid. Wikipedia. Accessed September 25, 2026.
  3. 3Mischek D, Krapfenbauer-Cermak C. Exposure assessment of food preservatives (sulphites, benzoic and sorbic acid) in Austria. Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess. 2012;29(3):371-82. doi:10.1080/19440049.2011.643415
  4. 4Yu EA, Alemán JO, Hoover DR, et al. Plasma metabolomic analysis indicates flavonoids and sorbic acid are associated with incident diabetes: A nested case-control study among Women's Interagency HIV Study participants. PLoS One. 2022;17(7):e0271207. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0271207
  5. 5Ling MP, Lien KW, Wu CH, Ni SP, Huang HY, Hsieh DP. Dietary exposure estimates for the food preservatives benzoic acid and sorbic acid in the total diet in Taiwan. J Agric Food Chem. 2015;63(7):2074-82. doi:10.1021/jf503987y
  6. 6Winkler C, Frick B, Schroecksnadel K, Schennach H, Fuchs D. Food preservatives sodium sulfite and sorbic acid suppress mitogen-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Food Chem Toxicol. 2006;44(12):2003-7. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2006.06.019