Editing Benzoic acid (section)

==Safety and mammalian metabolism{{anchor|Metabolism}}==<!-- This section is linked from [[Acetate CoA-transferase]] -->
It is excreted as [[hippuric acid]].<ref>{{cite journal | author= Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel Bindu Nair | title= Final Report on the Safety Assessment of Benzyl Alcohol, Benzoic Acid, and Sodium Benzoate| journal=Int J Tox | year=2001 | volume= 20 | issue=Suppl. 3 | pages=23–50 | doi= 10.1080/10915810152630729 | pmid= 11766131| s2cid= 13639993}}</ref> Benzoic acid is metabolized by [[butyrate-CoA ligase]] into an intermediate product, [[benzoyl-CoA]],<ref name="Benzoic1">{{cite web| title=butyrate-CoA ligase| url=http://www.brenda-enzymes.org/php/result_flat.php4?ecno=6.2.1.2&Suchword=&organism%5B%5D=Homo+sapiens&show_tm=0| website=BRENDA| publisher=Technische Universität Braunschweig.| access-date=7 May 2014}} Substrate/Product</ref> which is then metabolized by [[glycine N-acyltransferase|glycine ''N''-acyltransferase]] into hippuric acid.<ref name="Benzoic2">{{cite web| title=glycine N-acyltransferase|url=http://www.brenda-enzymes.info/php/result_flat.php4?ecno=2.3.1.13&Suchword=&organism%5B%5D=Homo+sapiens&show_tm=0|website=BRENDA|publisher=Technische Universität Braunschweig.|access-date=7 May 2014}} Substrate/Product</ref> Humans metabolize [[toluene]] which is also excreted as hippuric acid.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Krebs HA, Wiggins D, Stubbs M | title= Studies on the mechanism of the antifungal action of benzoate | journal= Biochem J | year=1983 | volume=214 | pages=657–663| pmid=6226283 | issue=3 | pmc=1152300 | doi= 10.1042/bj2140657 }}</ref>

For humans, the [[World Health Organization]]'s [[International Programme on Chemical Safety]] (IPCS) suggests a provisional tolerable intake would be 5&nbsp;mg/kg body weight per day.<ref name="concise">{{cite web|url=http://www.inchem.org/documents/cicads/cicads/cicad26.htm|title= Concise International Chemical Assessment Document 26: BENZOIC ACID AND SODIUM BENZOATE}}</ref> [[Cat]]s have a significantly lower tolerance against benzoic acid and its [[Salt (chemistry)|salts]] than [[rat]]s and [[mouse|mice]]. Lethal dose for cats can be as low as 300&nbsp;mg/kg body weight.<ref>{{cite journal| doi= 10.1136/vr.90.3.53|vauthors=Bedford PG, Clarke EG |title=Experimental benzoic acid poisoning in the cat|journal=Vet Rec |year=1972|pages=53–58|volume=90 |pmid = 4672555| issue= 3|doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 |s2cid=2553612 }}</ref> The oral {{LD50}} for rats is 3040&nbsp;mg/kg, for mice it is 1940–2263&nbsp;mg/kg.<ref name="concise" />

In [[Taipei]], Taiwan, a city health survey in 2010 found that 30% of dried and pickled food products had benzoic acid.<ref>{{cite news|first=Jian|last= Chen|author2=Y.L. Kao|url=http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2010/01/18/241326/Nearly-30.htm |title=Nearly 30% dried, pickled foods fail safety inspections|newspaper=[[The China Post]]| date=18 January 2010}}</ref>