Out of Date, I should stop using this?

[DuncB]

Have just started to dabble with Sodium Metabisulphite as an antioxidant when bottling, still learning re this.

I Looked at the container after a few uses that I had kept from my original kit brewing days and realised well past its' date.

Bought some new to replace it and it's a lot more powerful! Not found any disasters yet from using the old stuff, but
I was using it as a secondary steriliser after starsan and the residual drips in the bottle to work as an "antioxidant" prior to bottling.

Could be I've bottled up some problems, but I mostly keg so the losses might not be too great.

 

[madscientist451]

I didn't know Sodium Metabisulfite had an expiration date.

 

[bruce_the_loon]

SoMetaB, not typing it out, slowly decomposes to sodium sulphate when exposed to air. If it is still viable, you should smell sulphur dioxide when dissolved in water. If you get that with the new batch, but not the expired batch, then dump it as it ain't working.

 

[DuncB]

Oh I've dumped it, the new is very much more pungent. I'm keeping the container for heritage sake only. It's not like cheese and wine that can get better with age, there's a general decay.

 

[Vale71]

You should stop using it altogether even if fresh as it's useles both as a "sterilizer" as well as antioxidant.

 

[Vale71]

I didn't know Sodium Metabisulfite had an expiration date.

AFAIK anything that's sold as foodstuff must have an expiration date. Even so called hymalayan salt that's been lying underground for millions of years, once mined it becomes "perishable"...

 

[Barbarossa]

AFAIK anything that's sold as foodstuff must have an expiration date. Even so called hymalayan salt that's been lying underground for millions of years, once mined it becomes "perishable"...

Yeah that's also why they don't write "expiration date" much anymore, but instead "best before". Which means it's still good, but slightly less good than when you got it. Like 98% good. But not the best.

 

[Vale71]

That's not arbitrary. If it can make you sick after a certain date then it's an expiration date. If it simply starts tasting not so great then it's a best before. It's a crime to sell foodstuff past its expiration date, some countries though might allow sale of foodstuff past its best before date but at a reduced price. At least that's according to EU regulations, don't know about Canada but I suspect it's similar if not identical, eh?

 

[Miraculix]

AFAIK anything that's sold as foodstuff must have an expiration date. Even so called hymalayan salt that's been lying underground for millions of years, once mined it becomes "perishable"...

You just don't appreciate how lucky we are!

It was laying there millions of years and just two years before expiration date has come, somebody finally managed to get it out of the ground!

Imagine, what a loss that would have been! All these tons of salt would have gone bad!