sodium propionate

American  

noun

Chemistry.

1. a transparent, crystalline, water-soluble powder, C 3 H 5 NaO 2 , used in foodstuffs to prevent mold growth, and in medicine as a fungicide.

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sodium propionate British  

noun

1. a transparent crystalline soluble substance used as a medical fungicide and to prevent the growth of moulds, esp to retard spoilage in packed foods. Formula: Na(C 2 H 5 COO)

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Example Sentences

The ingredients, for example, of the Entenmann’s standard, the All Butter Loaf Cake, include sodium propionate, sorbitan monostearate, polysorbate 60 and other components that sound like pharmaceuticals for the odd conditions apparently afflicting viewers of daytime television.

From New York Times

According to photos of labels sent to me by a former Papa John's store employee, the ingredients in the company's "100 percent real cheese" include modified food starch, whey protein concentrate, sodium citrate and the preservative sodium propionate, all of which are not ingredients with any business in real cheese, mozzarella or otherwise.

From US News

Once a chemist asked for sodium propionate; after long research Heeren discovered that this rarity was made in hundreds of tons as an insecticide under the trade name "Mycoban."

From Time Magazine Archive