In order for wine products to be better preserved, they are treated with sulfur dioxide. Today, on the labels, the buyer can find such an inscription as sulfur dioxide, or simply E 220. This is one and the same.
Sulfur gas was used by the ancient Greeks, and in the Middle Ages this was the case with wines in Europe. But what does modern science think about this substance? Is it harmful to health?
Why add a preservative to wine?
It is imperative for the manufacturer to maintain their brand. The wine should have a pleasant taste, even when it lay on the shelves of the store for several months. Add a preservative - this is the only way to ensure that the wine stops playing, and its taste does not deteriorate.
Therefore, absolutely in all wines, the most delicious and natural, there is such a substance as sulfur dioxide. This supplement is a preservative, without which bacteria will develop further. The fermentation process will lead to the fact that a completely poor-quality product will reach the final consumer.
On a bottle of wine it should be written that the preservative E 220 is used. The use of the substance is not prohibited, only the manufacturer must adhere to the standards. Currently, the norm of sulfur dioxide in wine is 300 mg of the substance per 1000 ml of the drink. For the so-called ecovins, this norm is much less, somewhere around 100 mg.
If the norm is exceeded, then the preservative will adversely affect human health. However, the consumer will notice an excess of the norm of sulfur dioxide when opening the bottle. Then the wine will give off an unpleasant odor. And it’s better not to drink it.
How to add sulfur dioxide to wine?
The stabilizer is added already in the process of making wine directly to the wort, and then when bottled. In fact, no winemaker can do without a preservative. All rooms where the harvested grapes are stored are also treated with sulfur dioxide.
E 220 is used not only in wines. But also in ordinary children's juices, because it would be impossible to transport them. For storage of all dried fruits, sulfur dioxide is used many times more. Just before, the consumer did not know this, since the law did not oblige the manufacturer to mention sulfur dioxide on the product label.
Preservative formula
A preservative is usually obtained by roasting sulfide ores. For the food industry, it is necessary to use a sulfide such as pyrite.
You can also get sulfur dioxide in the process of burning carbon disulfide or when exposed to sodium sulfide sulfuric acid. The formula of the substance is SO 2 .
The substance is an antioxidant in its chemical properties, and a bleach, and a fermentation stabilizer. The wine industry uses a large amount of SO 2 annually.
Sulfur dioxide in wine. Effect on the body
How does this substance affect the body? With excessive use of wine, an accumulation of a preservative occurs in the body.
Some manufacturers of low-quality wines sometimes exceed several times the norm. In these cases, a person may feel the effect of dioxide poisoning. How is poisoning manifested?
- In the morning there will be weakness and a severe headache.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Possible rash on the body.
- People with asthma can suffer more, because excess stabilizer in wine damages the lungs in the first place.
- The accumulation of substances in the body leads to problems with the stomach, such as a change in acidity, and subsequently gastritis.
But the reason for the change in eating habits, contrary to popular belief, this preservative can not be.
In general, an excess of sulfur dioxide has a rather harmful effect on the human body. The condition of the bronchopulmonary system worsens and, more importantly, it reduces the amount of the biologically active substance thiamine, known as vitamin B1, in the body.
The most serious consequences of consuming large doses are severe vomiting, gastritis, against which a stomach ulcer can develop. Violations of all metabolic processes begin in the body. But for such changes in the body to begin, you must drink at least a liter on your own.
Asthmatics are not allowed to drink any alcohol at all. An increase in the allowable preservative rate in the body can cause a severe attack.
Also, some allergy sufferers can provoke some symptoms. But there are very few people with a negative allergic reaction to SO 2 - about 0.2% of the total population of the Earth (according to some research organizations).
The consequences of vitamin B1 deficiency
What happens to the body when thiamine is lacking? Adults, both men and women, are urgently required to receive daily at least 1.1 mg of biologically active substance. And for breastfeeding women, at least 1.4 mg of this vitamin.
What is B1 responsible for in the body? It improves brain function, stimulates bone growth, improves mood when we are depressed. And we know that sulfur dioxide affects the body is not the best - thiamine is destroyed. The disadvantage is immediately noticeable. A person becomes irritable, he is depressed, and does not sleep well at night, often headaches.
What grades of wine have less dioxide?
If in a company a person drinks a glass of wine or two, he is not in danger of any poisoning. So much wine has very little sulfur dioxide. The effect on the body is imperceptible. Only when 1 kg of a person’s weight contains more than 0.7 mg of a preservative, then he can feel lightheadedness.
If a person already has problems with the stomach, you need to choose those wines in which this harmful substance is less.
What varieties are these? Sweet and semi-sweet wines add more of this substance.
Red wine also has less preservative than white. Due to some features of white wine, producers add on average 50-100 mg more E 220 to it than red wine. Such standards apply not only in Russia but throughout the world. It must also be remembered that with other foods we also get a certain amount of sulfur dioxide, not only from wine products.
Can a preservative be replaced?
Unfortunately, the chemical industry has not yet found a quality replacement for this stabilizer. This is the only preservative that allows you to stop the fermentation process at the right stage of winemaking.
By the way, alcohol itself, for the sake of which wine is drunk, is no less dangerous than sulfur dioxide for the body.
findings
So, now it’s clear why sulfur dioxide is added to wine products. Sulfur gas is not a deadly poisonous substance, in small doses it is not dangerous. Only when the winemaker has violated the law and added more dioxide to the bottle can a person become ill. All symptoms resemble a usual hangover - a heavy head, nausea, drowsiness. To avoid these negative consequences, you need to buy only good quality wines. And also by taste and smell it is quite possible to determine whether there is an excess of preservative or not.
E 220 is harmful only for allergy sufferers and asthma patients. But for most healthy people, the supplement is completely harmless if you drink alcohol in acceptable doses.