Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
8
Effects of Sulfur Dioxide
on Food Quality
B.L. Wedzicha
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
Sulfur dioxide and sulfites have been used as direct additives in food preservation
since ancient times. They are still regarded as indispensable in many antimicrobial
applications and unique in their ability to control most types of chemical (enzymic
and nonenzymic) food spoilage. This success depends on the relatively low oral
toxicity of sulfite; use of this preservative is approved in most countries of the world.
Sulfites are unusually reactive among food additives; the concentration in a given
food at the time of sale is often half, or less, of the amount added at the time of
production. Such reactivity is both specific to the intended action of the additive
(e.g., inhibition of browning) and non-specific as a result of its broad spectrum of
reactivity. This raises questions about the toxicology of sulfited foods. However, the
specific reactions of sulfites with key intermediates in chemical spoilage are now
being used to provide a fundamental understanding of those spoilage mechanisms.
Moreover, the chemical reactivity of sulfite can be used to probe for the nature of
the aqueous phase in food as a medium for chemical reactions, particularly under
non-ideal conditions, e.g., high ionic strength, low water activity. This chapter will
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