DMDC (Dimethyl dicarbonate)

[Claude Jolicoeur]

I recently was told by a cidermaker that he uses DMDC (Dimethyl dicarbonate) as a yeast inhibitor at packaging time to insure stability of his ciders.
From what I have been able to gather, this product would have an effect similar to Potassium sorbate.
The FDA in the US permits its use up to a maximum dosage of 200 ppm.
I would be curious to know the advantages and inconvenients of this product compared to sorbate.
Others out there use it on a regular basis?
Claude

[Andrew Lea]

On 08/10/2015 13:48, Claude Jolicoeur wrote:

> I would be curious to know the advantages and inconvenients of this
> product compared to sorbate.

Many people I know who have started out with DMDC for cider (including
some in Australia) have now abandoned it due its lack of reliability.

First, the concentrate is dangerous and needs special handling and
dosing facilities and is only available to people with the required
training which has to be renewed every year. So it's only for the
largest wineries / bottlers, and not at all for the amateur.

Second, it has a lifetime of only 20 minutes or so before it's
inactivated and has no residual effect unlike a conventional
preservative. It is only suitable as 'belt and braces' for product which
is already being sterile filtered and aseptically filled.

Third, it isn't actually very effective. OK against normal fermenting
yeasts, less good against many wild / spoilage yeasts and lactic acid
bacteria. More effective at the alcohol level of a wine than a cider
due to the 'hurdle effect'. The yeast population has to be very low
already for it to be effective.

That's my take on it, based on what those who use it have told me.

Andrew


--
near Oxford, UK
Wittenham Hill Cider Portal
www.cider.org.uk

[Nat West]

AKA Velcorin, widely used in the US to stabilize wine, juice, energy drinks, soda, macro cider.

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[Aidan Currie]

I was talking to a mobile bottler in the NW who has been using their Velcorin dosing machine in line with their bottler on cider. They claim to never have had any re-fermentation/spoilage issues with a combination of filtration and and 200ppm velcorin dosing (maximum legal limit). I get a slightly different story when I talk to Scott Lab who sells the velcorin and certifies the mobile bottler. Basically, Scott Lab suggests it depends on the load of microorganisms present before dosing, the velcorin dosing rate, contact time before capping and any possible contamination during the packaging process. Notably, neither offer an insurance or guarantee on the effectiveness of Velcorin. Currently we water bath pasteurize which helps me sleep at night.

Can anyone here attest to effectiveness of velcorin in cider? While I curious to hear anecdotal evidence from any producer using the stuff, I'm more interested in people who have done microbiological analysis on cider packaged with velcorin. 

[Claude Jolicoeur]

Aidan, I think you have your answer in what you have written:

I was talking to a mobile bottler in the NW who has been using their Velcorin dosing machine in line with their bottler on cider. They claim to never have had any re-fermentation/spoilage issues with a combination of filtration and and 200ppm velcorin dosing (maximum legal limit).

I assume here this filtration you are refering to is very tight, i.e. 0.45 micron or less, which eliminates yeast and greatly reduces the load of all microorganisms including bacteria.
Then, assuming again this mobile bottler has an up-to-date system as far as sanitation is concerned, propably with CIP and a strict sanitation protocol, then you can assume zero (or pretty close to) contamination during the bottling process. Result of all this is a pretty secure and reliable result.
Claude

[Nat West]

Square Mile Cider (made by Craft Brew Alliance here in Portland) uses Velcorin in combo with DE filter. They’re starting with a pretty clean product and being a brewery, they’re good at CIP.

Velcorin is used widely in the soda, energy drink and concentrate-rehydrated juice business. All of those would have very load pathogen loads before Velcorin.

Many producers in the US will have great things to say about their sterile filtration process and how they’re able to get away with it without using chemicals (Velcorin or otherwise) or pasteurization.

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