Joe Krebs, Director of Protein Chemistry for Bioo Scientific: "The MaxSignal
Sulfite Assay Kit is the latest addition to Bioo Scientific's existing line of enzymatic assays for the detection of additives and adulteration in food and feed samples.
We see more and more interest in these wines from wine enthusiasts who believe NSA wines provide the most pure expression of the grape and from those who have
sulfite sensitivities or allergies.
Its two ionized forms in aqueous solution,
sulfite and (bi)
sulfite, are widely used as preservatives and antioxidants to prevent food and beverage spoilage.
This is because, like many conventional wines, they include added
sulfite preservatives to prevent oxidation and bacterial spoilage.
Because of potentially severe health issues experienced by some people, the government has mandated labeling products that contain
sulfites since 1988.
So all foods that are fermented--bread, cheese, beer--contain
sulfites too.
There are six
sulfites found in foods; sulfur dioxide, potassium bisulfite, sodium bisulfite, sodium
sulfite, potassium metabisulfite, and sodium metabisulfite.
With the new HPLC technique McFeeters developed,
sulfites can be detected at levels as low as 3 parts per million.
The FDA estimates that one out of every 100 people is
sulfite sensitive.
Concern over
sulfites may be a non issue with molasses; these days, it's difficult to find molasses that doesn't boast ``unsulfured'') on the label.
Other than
sulfites, the research results about food-related allergic reactions and intolerances become very inconsistent," Wells points out.
Wine drinkers know that the
sulfites used as preservatives in wine can cause headaches in some people--even death in some asthmatics (SN: 6/27/87, p.
