Sulfite preservatives effects on the mouth microbiome: Changes in viability, diversity and composition of microbiota.

Overview: Processed foods make up about 70 percent of the North American diet. Sulfites and other food preservatives are added to these foods largely to limit bacterial contamination. The mouth microbiota and its associated enzymes are the first to encounter food and therefore likely to be the most affected.

Sulfites inhibit the growth of four species of beneficial gut bacteria at concentrations regarded as safe for food.

Sulfites and other preservatives are considered food additives to limit bacterial contamination, and are generally regarded as safe for consumption by governmental regulatory agencies at concentrations up to 5000 parts per million (ppm). Consumption of bactericidal and bacteriostatic drugs have been shown to damage beneficial bacteria in the human gut and this damage has been associated with several diseases. In the present study, bactericidal and bacteriostatic effects of two common food preservatives, sodium bisulfite and sodium sulfite, were tested on four known beneficial bacterial species common as probiotics and members of the human gut microbiota.