Use
As an excipient, sodium propionate is used in oral pharmaceutical
formulations as an antimicrobial preservative. Like propionic acid,
sodium propionate and other propionic acid salts are fungistatic
and bacteriostatic against a number of Gram-positive cocci.
Propionates are more active against molds than is sodium benzoate,
but have essentially no activity against yeasts.
Therapeutically, sodium propionate has been used topically in
concentrations up to 10% w/w alone or in combination with other propionates, caprylates, or other antifungal agents, in the form of
ointments or solutions for the treatment of dermatophyte infections.
Eye drops containing 5% w/v sodium propionate have also been
used.
In food processes, particularly baking, sodium propionate is
used as an antifungal agent; it may also be used as a flavoring agent
in food products. In veterinary medicine, sodium propionate is used
therapeutically as a glucogenic substance in ruminants.