Food Preservatives Exhibit Class-Specific Environmental Fates, With Persistent Antioxidants and Chelators Demanding Closer Scrutiny

Food safety and shelf-life extension are critical for global food security, heavily relying on various food preservatives. However, the environmental implications of these compounds, once released into ecosystems, are complex and often poorly understood. Traditional assumptions about their degradation or removal in environmental systems, such as wastewater treatment plants, often overlook the compound-specific nature of their fate. There's a significant gap in understanding the full lifecycle of these additives, from their release pathways to their transformation products and potential ecotoxicological impacts, necessitating a synthesized overview of current evidence.