Since it is the molecular form (S[O.sub.2]) of sulfur dioxide that has the most potent antimicrobial effect, and the percentage of
sulfite that is in the molecular form is directly dependent on the pH, one must always consider both the pH and the free S[O.sub.2] when deciding how much sulfur dioxide to add to a wine.
In one patient, urine
sulfite registered at 40 mg/L by
sulfite dipstick.
However, some people with
sulfite sensitivity find that supplementation with molybdenum (it is in many multi-vitamin formulations), vitamins B-12, B-6, and B-l, and the coenzyme tetrahydrofolate to be helpful.
It is evident from line weaver--Burk plot (double reciprocal figure 1, 2) and table 1 that
sulfite ions at 1 mM concentration do not change [K.sub.m] (38 [micro]M) of the enzyme Pepcase at all the test concentrations (1.5 to 10.5 mM) of PEP whereas, [V.sub.max] decreased (8.3 [micro]M/min/g) as compared to the control.
A similar drop in viscosity is measured when DMS, dimethyl
sulfite, and DMC are added to the epoxy resin also.
Current USDA rules allow wines containing fewer than 10 parts per million (ppm) of
sulfites and made from organic grapes to carry the "certified organic" label.
But Roger Boulton, a viticulture professor at University of California (UC), Davis, says the FDA based its
sulfite sensitivity statistics on a flawed experiment.
We examined the in vitro capacity of
sulfite to prevent plasma lipid peroxidation.
There are six
sulfites found in foods; sulfur dioxide, potassium bisulfite, sodium bisulfite, sodium
sulfite, potassium metabisulfite, and sodium metabisulfite.
Police investigators suspect a poisonous gas known as hydrogen
sulfite leaked out when engineers at the plant were conducting an experiment to convert discarded wool into fertilizer.
During purification of the
sulfite oxidizing activity it became apparent that several fractions contained this activity.
The FDA estimates that one out of every 100 people is
sulfite sensitive.