A salt or ester formed from benzoic acid, commonly used as a food preservative and flavoring agent.
From 'benzoic' (related to benzoin) + the suffix '-ate' (indicating a salt or ester), following standard chemical nomenclature. Standardized as food chemistry developed.
Sodium benzoate (a benzolate) is in thousands of products and is one of the few additives that both preserves food AND tastes slightly sweet—a chemical win-win!
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