What Are Campden Tablets?
Home winemakers will often come across an ingredient or additive called "Campden Tablets." What are they exactly, and when should you use them?
What Are Campden Tablets?
What Are Campden Tablets?
What Are Campden Tablets?
What Are Campden Tablets?
Originally industrialized in Campden, England at a laboratory that does food safety research, Campden Tablets are used for strict determination of the preservative sodium metabisulfite. They have been used for decades in home winemaking activities to forestall oxidation of wine and inhibit bacterial growth. As well, they can be used to make a sanitizing clarification for winemaking equipment.
Each tablet contains unquestionably 0.44 grams of sodium metabisulfite. Due to this precision, a home winemaker can with close accuracy conclude the exact estimate of sulfite being added to their wines or juices that are meant to be turned into wine. Generally, one tablet per gallon of wine is used when sulfite is called for. One tablet per gallon will contribute about 50 parts per million of sulfur dioxide.
However, this tablet form of sulfite is not without its drawbacks:
1. In order to be useful, the tablet needs to be finely crushed before it is can be added to the wine. Without crushing, the sodium metabisulfite will not dissolve very well and therefore will not add much protection. It also should be dissolved in a small estimate of warm water which is then added to the wine or juice.
2. Campden tablets comprise sodium metabisulfite which can be a qoute for those on a sodium restricted diet.
In home winemaking, this tablet form of sulfite is best used when production small batches of wine in one to three gallon sizes. Beyond that, the powder form of potassium metabisulphite is preferred. Although precision can only be obtained when using sensitive scales, measuring the powder in 1/4 teaspoon sizes is close enough for the results that are expected. As well, production sanitizing solutions with potassium metabisulfite is much easier than with Campden Tablets.
What Are Campden Tablets?
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