Goddard S J, Wedzicha B L
Procter Department of Food Science, University of Leeds, UK.
Food Addit Contam. 1992 Sep-Oct;9(5):485-92. doi: 10.1080/02652039209374101.
Under aerobic conditions, the reaction of sorbic acid with sulphite species, S(IV), involves a pH-dependent oxidative mechanism with the loss of S(IV). Sorbic acid is essential to the process. In the absence of air, a much slower nucleophilic addition of sulphite ion to undissociated sorbic acid takes place.