Cleaners, Sanitizers, Preservatives - A to Z

Cleaners, sanitizers and preservatives are not the same thing. Cleaners may leave your equipment bright and clean but not sanitary enough to use for home brewing. Some sanitizers work as preservatives but some preservatives don't sanitize. As an aside, there is a difference between sanitizing and sterilizing. What most home brewers have to aim for is sanitation: keeping the population of spoilage organisms as low as possible. Sterilization, on the other hand, is tough to achieve. A good rule of thumb is this: if you can keep your equipment looking, smelling, and feeling clean at all times--even when it's not in use--you'll have fewer problems keeping everything sanitized. Rinse out bottles and carboys as soon as they are empty. Store beer equipment with a little chlorine solution in it and wine making equipment with a little sulphite solution. But don't mix the two solutions; dangerous gases can be produced. If you get tired of scrubbing and sanitizing, just remember, 90% of all failures in home beer and wine making can be attributed to lapses in sanitation.

Preservatives are an important part of wine making. (They aren't as important in beer making. Home made beer takes care of itself because it usually has live yeast in the bottle. The yeast consumes any sugars or nutrients left in the beer before any spoilage organism has a chance to.) Don't worry that adding 'preservatives' to your homemade wine is unnatural. The thing we most often recommend adding is sulphite, and it occurs naturally in small amounts during fermentation. The upshot is this: sulphites are your friend. Not only do they keep wine from developing infections like film yeast, mold, and acetobacter (vinegar bacteria), they also keep the wine from oxidizing. Without the use of sulphites you have to be terrifically careful to keep all of your equipment very sanitary and you still have to drink your wine up as quickly as possible before it spoils. If you are concerned about the use of sulphites in wine or other food products get a copy of our handout 'Sulphite Facts'.


Campden tablets
AKA: Sodium Metabisulphite.
Uses: Source of SO2 (sulphite) in wine making. For every 2 litres of wine completely crush one tablet. Dissolve in a small amount of cold water. Stir into wine thoroughly.
Contraindications: Not recommended because of the near impossibility of successfully dissolving the tablets correctly (and thus achieving the correct dosage). better choice would be potassium metabisulphite (see below).


Iodaphor
Uses: Iodine detergent. Sanitizer. Germicide. Prepare solution by mixing one ml of Iodaphor per litre of cold water. Use a syringe for accurate measurement. Sluice equipment with solution (or use trigger-type spray bottle) and allow to drip dry. Do not rinse. Excellent for use with stainless steel (which Sani-Brew will corrode and pit) and any other beer-making equipment.
Contraindications: Hazardous to those with iodine allergies. Concentrated solution will stain skin, fabric. Good sanitizer, but not good for cleaning dirty or stained equipment. Must be made fresh for each use, and discarded after 24 hours, as it loses potency with time.


Potassium metabisulphite
Uses: Source of SO2 in wine making. For sulphite additions in wine use ½ teaspoon per 23 litres to give 50 PPM. Dissolve in a small amount of cold water. Stir into wine thoroughly. 5 ml (one teaspoon) = approximately 6.1 g.
Hazard Classification: Irritant. Will provoke allergic reaction in hypersensitive individuals. Individuals with asthma or emphysema should not breathe the dust or SO2 gas from the prepared solution. Note that due to media coverage, far more people consider themselves 'allergic' to sulphites than actually are. For more information, see our 'sulphite Facts' handout.


Potassium Sorbate:
AKA: Sorbic Acid
Uses: Prevents renewed fermentation in sweet wines and inhibits reproduction of mold and yeast. Do not add until all fermentation is finished and the wine is clear and stable. Dissolve ¼ g of Sorbate per litre of wine to be treated in cool water and then stir in thoroughly. 5 ml (one Teaspoon) = approximately 2.8 g.
Contraindications: . Must not be added until all fermentation has ceased. Sorbate present during malolactic fermentation will be converted to hexanedienol (geraniol), a compound with the strong and disagreeable odour of rotting geraniums. Not necessary in dry wines, although many older recipe books insist on adding it under the name 'Stabilizing powder'.
Composition: . Stable salt of sorbic acid (derived from the berries of the mountain ash tree).


Sani-Brew
Uses: Sanitizing detergent. Spagnol's recommends it as the primary sanitizer in beer making. Extremely useful in cleaning all home beer and wine-making equipment. Dissolve 3.5 g/litre of cold water to make sanitizing solution. Allow to soak for at least 20 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with hot water. For heavily stained equipment, soak for up to 48 hours. 5 ml (one teaspoon) = approximately 3.8 g.
Contraindications: Due to highly alkaline nature of solution, should not be mixed with acids, amines, ammonia, or reducing agents. Should not be used with stainless steel due to corrosive pitting from chlorine.
Composition: Chlorinated alkali, consisting of chlorinated trisodium phosphate and potassium bromide.
Hazard Classification: Corrosive. Contact with skin or eyes can cause severe irritation. Also irritating if dust is breathed or swallowed. Contact with acids or reducing agents will release heat and chlorine gas. Contact with ammonia or nitrogen compounds will produce nitrogen gas and chloramines.


Saniton
Uses: Detergent. Useful for cleaning all home beer and wine-making equipment. Especially useful for stainless steel, where a chlorinated cleaner such as Sani-Brew could pit and corrode the metal. Removes very stubborn stains and dirt. Dissolve 2 g/litre of warm water (about 2 teaspoons per imperial gallon). Allow to soak for 20 minutes and scrub any stubborn stains. Rinse well with hot water. 5 ml (one teaspoon) = approximately 4.3 g.
Contraindications: Not an effective sanitizer; must be used in conjunction with bacterial inhibitors. Avoid contact with strong acids and prolonged contact aluminum, tin, lead and zinc, as it will produce hydrogen gas.
Composition: Sodium carbonate, sodium metasilicate.
Hazard Classification: Corrosive. Exposure to dust may cause irritation to skin, eyes, and respiratory tract. If ingested can irritate digestive tract.


Sodium Metabisulphite
Uses: Source of SO2 in wine making. Dissolve ½ teaspoon per 23 litres in a small amount of cold water to give 50 PPM. Stir into wine thoroughly. 5 ml (one teaspoon) = approximately 6.1 g.
Contraindications: Sodium source of metabisulphite a health concern to people prone to hypertension. Also, high doses could cause flavour changes in wine. If this is of concern to you, potassium metabisulphite could be a better choice.
Hazard Classification: IIrritant. Will provoke allergic reaction in hypersensitive individuals. Individuals with asthma or emphysema should not breathe the dust or SO2 gas from the prepared solution. Note that due to media coverage, far more people consider themselves 'allergic' to sulphites than actually are. For more information, see our 'sulphite Facts' handout.


Sulphur Strips
Uses: Source of sulfur dioxide for barrel care. Wicks are burnt inside empty barrel, producing SO2 gas.
Contraindications: Difficulty in determining dosage rates for barrel size. Large amounts of toxic sulfur dioxide gas released during use. A solution of potassium metabisulphite would be a better choice for sanitizing barrels.
Composition: Elemental sulphur bonded to cellulose wick.
Hazard Classification: Irritant. Gases produced by burning severe irritant. Overexposure can lead to breathing difficulties.