Question

which of the following two pairs are proper?
(a) Food preservative-Sodium benzoate
(b) Antioxidant- Propionic acid
(c) Food color -$\beta $-carotene
(d) Artificial sweetening agent –Arneto

(A) a, b
(B) a, c
(C) a, d
(D) b, d

Answer 1

Hint:. Some organic compounds are used industrially in food and brewing industries to serve many purposes. The compounds given in the above question also have such applications but some do not match. To answer this type of multiple choice question, all the given options and their matches should be checked and the correct choice is chosen.

Complete step by step answer:
Let us check all the given options for their correct pairs.
(a) Sodium benzoate is a sodium salt of benzoic acid, it is an organic compound. Being an acidic salt it has the properties to lower the pH value of the food substance into which it is added. The decrease in pH inhibits the growth of microbes due to the acidic environment created and results in increased shelf life of the food substances. So sodium benzoate is used as food preservative.
(c) Beta carotene is a natural pigment found in food substances such as carrot or yellow bell pepper and all red-yellow colored fruits or vegetables. This pigment imparts color to those naturally occurring food substances and plant parts. It is used as a coloring agent for food substances as natural orange. It also acts as antioxidant when taken as a supplement and it also takes part as the structural component in the synthesis of vitamin A.
So, the correct answer is “Option B”.

Note: Propionic acid is a carboxylic acid which has anti-microbial properties to help inhibit bacterial and fungal growth. It is also used as food preservative in baked food stuff. Arneto is not a sweetening agent as it is not a saccharide but it is actually a fruit wine made from grapefruit.