Preservatives, as a type of food additive, play a crucial role in extending the shelf life of food and enhancing its flavor. Specifically, they help to manage and inhibit food degradation, offering protection against spoilage caused by microorganisms such as bacteria, yeast, and molds, as well as against life-threatening botulism and other organisms that can lead to food poisoning (antimicrobial function). These preservatives include citric acid and its citrate salts, sorbic acid and potassium sorbate, benzoic acid and its benzoate salts, propionic acid and its propionate salts, ascorbic acid and its ascorbate salts etc.