The long name of p-hydroxybenzoic acid, methyl ester, is used very rarely in the instructions for various products. Instead, manufacturers prefer to use the generally accepted abbreviation E218, enshrined at the legislative level.
Range of application
Despite the fact that methylparaben was originally positioned as a food preservative, today its scope is much wider. Due to its antiseptic properties, the agent is actively added not only to food, but also to products from the pharmaceutical group. Sometimes the agent is even attracted to the formation of cosmetic care products.
Because of this, many are interested in whether such a neighborhood is dangerous. In fact, the presence of methyparaben in medicines and other products was approved by special commissions. Regulatory authorities recognized the low percentage of danger of such an ingredient, securing its possibility of adding at the official level.
The physical characteristics of the agent are nothing special, since it is a powdery substance with a specific aroma. The active substance, which is part of an effective mixture, helps to prevent the appearance of pathogens and some yeasts.
Chemists have spied a similar effect in nature, since many representatives of the flora are able to boast of a similar spectrum of action. The clearest example of this is blueberries. At the same time, a chemically derived stabilizer can hardly be called a universal product. The problem is that it is not able to productively resist a number of yeasts and molds.
Despite the ability of the preservative to dissolve in water, experts do not use the usual liquid as the main solvent. Such categoricalness is explained by the fact that upon dissolution, the activity of antibacterial properties is significantly reduced. That is why the additive is poured directly into the finished mixture.
To improve performance, experts often combine E218 with other additives similar in spectrum.
Most often found in tandem with E216. Such an alliance is found in almost all fast food products like breakfast cereals or hiking kits for tourists.
There are mentions of them in certain confectionery products. In its pure form, it is poured into canned meat to create that very characteristic jelly mass. It is poured with the main ingredients of each jar.
Possible harm
Due to the fact that doctors still cannot fully decide whether the presented remedy is dangerous to humans or not, many people are wary of it.
But in fact, a negative effect on the body has not been proven.
Allergists, on the other hand, put forward a whole hypothesis, according to which, even with the infrequent use of methylparaben, there is a high chance of encountering various manifestations of allergic reactions. An additional disadvantage may be estrogenic activity.
Special attention deserves the information, which states that regular eating of foods with such an additive significantly increases the risk of malignant oncological formations. First of all, women were at risk, because most often the lesion affects the mammary glands.
In this regard, in a number of countries, the authorities insisted on completely abandoning the use of such a dubious tool. Listened to European colleagues and Russian legislators.