1. 1
MARCH, 2012.

2. OUTLINE
 INTRODUCTION
 CLASSIFICATION OF FOOD PRESERVATIVES
 EFFECTS OF FOOD PRESERVATIVES ON
FERTILITY
 OTHER SIDE EFFECTS OF FOOD
PRESERVATIVES
 CONCLUSION
 REFERENCES
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3. INTRODUCTION
• Food Preservatives are substances capable of
inhibiting, retarding or arresting the process of
fermentation, acidification or other deterioration of
foods.
• They are substances that limit, slow down or stop the
growth of microorganisms (bacteria, yeasts, molds)
present within the food and thus prevent the
deterioration of the foods or food poisoning.
• They are used inter alia in cooked food, wine, cheese,
fruit juices and margarines.
(Frey, 2009).
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4. CLASSIFICATION OF FOOD
PRESERVATIVES
Food preservatives can be classified based on
SOURCE
 Natural food preservative
 Artificial/ Chemical food preservative
MECHANISM OF ACTIONS
 Antioxidants
 Antimicrobials
(Edara, 2011).
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5. NATURAL FOOD PRESERVATIVES
• Natural food preservatives are things that can be easily found in
the kitchen amongst the everyday cooking ingredients.
• Some of the well known natural preservatives are things that
we use day in day out.
• Natural food preservatives have been used and known to
mankind since long time.
• These are used in both raw as well as cooked food to increase
the shelf value of food so that aroma, taste and the food itself
can be stored for a longer period of time.
• They are added to the food and prevent its decomposition
(Oberoi, 2010).
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6. LIST OF NATURAL FOOD PRESERVATIVE
In the category of natural food preservatives comes:
o Salt
o Sugar
o Alcohol
o Vinegar
o Rosemary extract
o Onion
(Edara, 2011).
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7. Source: http://foodadditivesworld.com 7

8. ARTIFICIAL/CHEMICAL FOOD PRESERVATIVE
• Artificial preservatives are a group of chemical
substances added to food, sprayed on the outside of
food to retard spoilage, discoloration, or
contamination by bacteria and other disease
organisms (Frey, 2009).
• Chemical food preservatives are being used for quite
some time now.
• They seem to be the best and the most effective for a
longer shelf life and are generally fool proof for the
preservation purpose.
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9. The most common chemical Preservative include:
 Benzoates (sodium benzoate and benzoic acid)
 Nitrites (sodium nitrite)
 Sulfites (sulfur dioxide)
 Sorbates (sodium sorbate and potassium sorbate)
 Parabens (butyl paraben and ethyl paraben)
 Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and Butylated
hydroxytoluene (BHT)
(Magnuson, 1997).
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10. Antioxidants Food Preservative
• Antioxidants are molecules that help to protect foods
against oxidation reactions that accelerate aging.
• This may be due to alterations of the oxygen in the air,
light, trace metals or certain enzymes (Atyqy, 2011).
• Oxidation causes food rancidity or spoilage and leads
to discoloration, change in the food’s taste and or
texture as well as the formation of off-flavors and
odors (Donnelly and Robinson, 1995).
• Examples of antioxidant food preservatives are: BHA,
BHT, ascorbic acid, and citric acid (Magnuson, 1997).
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11. Antimicrobials Food Preservative
• Antimicrobial are type of food preservative that works
by preventing the growth of bacteria, fungi, molds, or
yeast in foods (Frey, 2009).
• Examples of antimicrobial food preservatives are:
benzoates, nitrates, and sulfites (Magnuson, 1997).
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12. EFFECTS OF FOOD PRESERVATIVES ON MALE
FERTILITY
 Parabens
 Butyl paraben decreases the spermatid counts in the
seminiferous tubules depending on the its concentration
in food.
 Butyl paraben and propyl paraben decrease the serum
testosterone concentration in a dose-dependent fashion.
 Butyl paraben damaged the late steps of
spermatogenesis in the testis (spermiogenesis)
(Oishi , 2002).
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13. EFFECTS OF FOOD PRESERVATIVES ON
FEMALE FERTILITY
 Animal experiments have shown that parabens have weak
estrogenic activity, acting as xenoestrogens (Byford et al.,
2002).
 A high dose of methyl- and isopropylparaben (1000 mg/kg
BW/day) resulted in a significant delay in the date of
vaginal opening and a decrease in length of the estrous
cycle.
 Histological analysis of the ovaries from the peripubertal
rats revealed a decrease of corpora lutea, increase in the
number of cystic follicles, and thinning of the follicular
epithelium
(Vo et al., 2010).
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14. OTHER SIDE EFFECTS OF FOOD
PRESERVATIVES
Sodium Benzoate
• In combination with ascorbic acid (vitamin C), sodium
benzoate and potassium benzoate form benzene, a
known carcinogen (FDA, 2006).
• According to Peter W. Piper of the University of
Sheffield, sodium benzoate by itself can damage and
inactivate vital parts of DNA in a cell's mitochondria.
Sulphites
In the form of gases cause lung irritation and may trigger
asthma. In the solid form, sulphites can cause Urticaria
when ingested (Morris, 2008).
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15. CONCLUSION
 Most of the food we consume except the ones grown in
our gardens contains one or more food preservatives
which have health concerns that are not fully
understood.
 To avoid health issues associated with food containing
artificial food preservatives, it is advisable to consume
foods containing no artificial food preservative.
 Asthmatic patients should avoid food containing
sulphites.
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16. THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND
ATTENTION
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17. REFERENCES
 Adrian Morris (2008). Food Additive Reactions are
Intolerance to artificial and natural chemicals found in
packaged, processed and “take-away” fast foods.
http://www.allergy-clinic.co.uk/
 Bernadene Magnuson, (1997). Preservatives that function
as antimicrobials.
http://extoxnet.orst.edu/faqs/extoxnet.htm
 Bernadene Magnuson, (1997). Antioxidants.
http://extoxnet.orst.edu/faqs/extoxnet.htm
 FDA, 2006. "Data on Benzene in Soft Drinks and Other
Beverages, " United States Food and Drug Administration
 M. EL Atyqy (2011). Chemical food preservation.
http://azaquar.com
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18. REFERENCES
 Oishi S. (2002). Effects of butyl paraben on the male
reproductive system in mice. Arch Toxicol. 2002 Jul;76(7):423-9
 Oishi S. (2004). Lack of spermatotoxic effects of methyl and
ethyl esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid in rats. Food Chem Toxicol.
2004 Nov;42(11):1845-9
 R. k. Oberoi (2010). Advantages of Natural Food Preservatives.
http://www.articlebase.com
 Rebecca J. Frey (2009). Artificial preservatives. http://diet.com
 Vo TT, Yoo YM, Choi KC, Jeung EB., (2010). Potential estrogenic
effect(s) of parabens at the prepubertal stage of a postnatal
female rat model. Reprod Toxicol. 2010 Jun;29(3):306-16. Epub
2010 Feb 2
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