and what damage or harm are they to your health. Is it only the cheaper wines that have these in ?
2006-09-19 07:58:34 · 11 answers · asked by AS IT IS 1 in Food & Drink ➔ Beer, Wine & Spirits
The main reason is that they stop the alcohol being turned into acid. If a fermentation is contaminated and its acid content is rising then the bisulphite is added.
Then the wine is sold quick and cheap!
RoyS.
2006-09-19 19:00:23 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sulfites naturally occur in wine, and a small amount is usually added as well. Cheap wines may have more sulfites if they are made without care.
Sulfites act as a preservative in the wine.
Most wines, except for some "organically" made wines (that don't last for more than a few months) contain added sulfites.
A dried apricot contains the same amount of sulfites as ten glasses of your average wine.
Most people don't have any reaction to sulfites, but in people with sulfite allergies, they can cause a bronchial reaction, difficulty breathing, and/or hives.
Sulfites do not cause a headache as some people claim.
2006-09-19 12:23:01 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They are preservatives and especially sold to pubs where a bottle could be opened for a couple of days and still taste fairly ok. True wine "snobs" would not drink wine containing sulphites.Don't know whether they are doing harm or not.... they will probably tell us that in about 10 years time. If you can afford it, drink the stuff without sulphites.
2006-09-19 08:06:24 · answer #3 · answered by little weed 6 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Sulphites are used to kill any worms that are in the grapes. It is the best way known to do it. It's not just the cheap wines who have it. Expensive wines have it too, especially white wines and roses.
2006-09-19 08:03:25 · answer #4 · answered by Angel 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
They're preservatives and are in wines of all prices. Some people say that sulphites give them a headache.
2006-09-19 08:01:20 · answer #5 · answered by Sean 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
SO2 arrests yeast, and stops the fermentation process. It also kills wild yeast, and so it is used extensively in sterilisation of equipment (sodium metabisulphate).
In the quantities used in wine and beer making (and residual in the final product) they are apparently of little harm.
There are other methods to arrest yeast fermentation which could be used (such as freeze stabilisation), which may increase the costs of production slightly. However, it is the preservative benefits for which they are generally widely used.
Potassium Metabisulphite (campden tablets) are most likely to be present in wine that you drink. The tablets react with acid in wine to produce SO2 which protects wine from unwanted bacteria and oxidisation.
Health risks
---------------
Some people are allergic to sulfites, and may have difficulty breathing within minutes of eating a food containing sulfites. Asthmatics and people with allergies to aspirin are at an elevated risk for reaction to sulfites. The reaction can be fatal and requires immediate treatment at an emergency room, and can include sneezing, swelling of the throat, and hives. Those who are allergic to sulfites are urged to avoid products that could contain them.
See also: anaphylaxis.
There is a regulation in the US and the EU (introduced in 2005), which states that if the SO2 exceeds 10 parts per million it should be contained on the label. (wine typically contains 125-250 PPM so most new wines should be labelled these days)
The World Health Organization recommends a daily limit of 42 milligrams of sulfites for a 132-pound person.
As an example in homebrew it would appear that 1 campden tablet per gallon of wine equates to about 1.5 x the WHO recommended daily limit. Therefore you should only drink 3/4 a gallon of homebrew wine per day if it had one campden tablet in it, 3/8 gallon if it had two campden tablets in it.
In your average homebrew wine made from scratch you can expect about two campden tablets to be used per gallon. You would reach your WHO daily limit of sulphites if you drank 2 bottles of this homebrew.
Incidently, campden tablets are sometimes (historically) composed of sodium metabisulphite which may cause problems to people requiring a low sodium diet.
2006-09-19 08:33:54 · answer #6 · answered by James 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
They are added as a fermentation stopper and preservative but some people are allergic to sulphites.
2006-09-19 08:15:57 · answer #7 · answered by COACH 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
They may be a biproduct of the process by which a wine is made clear (in addition to other answers on this page) you will also find them in many long life fruit drinks esp cordials. They may also be leftover from the process of sterilising equipment.
They are completely harmless in the small quantities that are consumed, but in my opinion, do nothing for the flavour!
2006-09-19 08:23:27 · answer #8 · answered by pete h 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Sulphites are used to stop fermentation, not as a preservative or to kill worms
2006-09-19 08:14:07 · answer #9 · answered by corvuequis 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
they are used to make sure the wine does,nt ferment any more. all wines have them. we are told they are safe to use.
2006-09-19 08:26:32 · answer #10 · answered by grumpcookie 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋