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Question about Campden Tablets

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R

Robusto

Worker Bee
Registered Member
Jun 12, 2011
234
1
18
NJ
Hi all,
So I have a question about Campden Tablets. I asked it in the newbees section because it’s probably an entry level question, and may help others. I have never used Campden Tablets, but thought that I had a basic understanding of them; that they can remove chlorine, and kill wild yeasts and bacteria. But… if they kill wild yeasts and bacteria, how do they not kill my good yeast that I put in there on purpose?

I notice that directions usually say to wait 24 hrs before pitching your yeast… So, does the Campden magically dissipate during that time- leaving a nice sterile must? Does it stick around like Sulfites?

Thanks for the help
 
Robusto said:
Hi all,
So I have a question about Campden Tablets. I asked it in the newbees section because it’s probably an entry level question, and may help others. I have never used Campden Tablets, but thought that I had a basic understanding of them; that they can remove chlorine, and kill wild yeasts and bacteria. But… if they kill wild yeasts and bacteria, how do they not kill my good yeast that I put in there on purpose?

I notice that directions usually say to wait 24 hrs before pitching your yeast… So, does the Campden magically dissipate during that time- leaving a nice sterile must? Does it stick around like Sulfites?

Thanks for the help
Click to expand...
The sulphites in campden tablets doesn't kill the yeast per se, it stuns it.

If you add sulphites to a must, the 24 (I prefer 48) hour period does indeed dissipate the sulphites.

Actually, they're produced in tiny quantities during the ferment anyway, just that we use them in artificially higher levels to make use of them.

The more you agitate a batch the quicker they dissipate. They also act as an anti-oxidant, though given that sulphites dissipate I prefer ascorbic acid for that.....
 
Campden tablets are a sulfite, it's just a brand of them. Sulfites don't kill yeast or bacteria it more or less stuns them, that's why they say to wait to pitch your yeast. Some have not listened and pitched too earlier and their yeast were still fine, just slow to start fermenting.

Edit: looks like Fatbloke and were typing the same thing at the same time but he is faster at typing.
 
Last edited:
EricS said:
Campden tablets are a sulfite, it's just a brand of them. Sulfites don't kill yeast or bacteria it more or less stuns them, that's why they say to wait to pitch your yeast. Some have not listened and pitched too earlier and their yeast were still fine, just slow to start fermenting.

Edit: looks like Fatbloke and were typing the same thing at the same time but he is faster at typing.
Click to expand...
:D not on this smartphone that's sitting on my steering wheel.....

But at home on the PC, about 40 WPM......
 
Thanks for the quick replies.

Does it stick around like Sulfites?
Click to expand...

Sorry, I meant Sorbates there. So if I am understanding correctly here, Sulfites will dissipate, but Sorbates will not, right? I alway mix them up :BangHead:

Campden tablets are a sulfite, it's just a brand of them.
Click to expand...

Ah.. makes sense.

one more question:

I often see folks say to crush a tablet on fruit. If i have fruit, say cherries or berries, can i just crush a tablet on them and swirl around? do I need to add water to assure better surface contact? Or do they only work in mashed friut (fruit juice?)?.

Ps- sorry, that was a statement and three questions... ;D
 
If you add sorbate by mistake then no, that doesn't dissipate.

Some juices have it added as a preservative and I've read that it can sometimes be reduced by boiling the juice but as white and green juices often change taste when heated, id just drink it and start again or keep it for topping up......

As for crushing a tablet and sprinkling it on the fruit directly ? You could but I wouldn't.

I make my own sanitising solution which is 5 crushed campden tablets and a teaspoon of citric acid in a pint or 500mls of water and keep it in a hand spray. Its all food safe so you could just use that or just the campdens and water.

A spray would help spread the sulphites but keep excess liquid down so you wouldn't have to mix the fruit round. If you sprayed the fruit in a sieve, the fruit would still get coated but even less liquid would stay on the fruit......

The point of not using too much or chancing a blob of powder getting stuck or caught is that in higher concentration, sulphites have a bleaching effect hence the spray etc.....
 
I usually add camppden to liquid musts as I generally ferment on the fruit anyway but this year I sulphited my shredded apples so things wouldn't get started without me while I was letting them sit 24 hours with pectinase before pressing them, I just mixed the crushed tabs in with the pectinase and stirred it around well in the apple slop, it did the trick because if I'd had to leave a pot of unsulphited shredded apples around for the three days one batch sat due to time constraints, it would have already been fermenting on its own otherwise.
 
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