Elder berries with parasites

[bamajo]

Hello everyone,
I have been reading for a while and decided to join to ask a question. I spent several hours picking wild elderberries. After washing and bagging them to freeze (i was hoping to get more than 3 lbs) I noticed some of them have larva hatching from them. Gross, I know! After reading on the internet it seems it is somewhat common for berries to get infected with certain types of fruit fly larva but it is suppose to not be harmful. They are so small it was just by chance I even noticed them. Has anyone else ever had this happen and go on to make wine with the berries? Thanks for any info

 

[Kent88]

sub'd, carry on.

 

[rhoadsrage]

Not trying to insult your intelligence, just clarifying your observations. I just picked my elderberries and froze them then added them to my last batch of Kombucha. After freezing the seeds come out and float and they are very tiny, brown and oblong. Which makes them look a little bit like fruit fly larva.

You said they were hatching, so if they are moving then they are definitely not seeds.

Should be fine in the wine. I'd drink it.

 

[jgmillr1]

As long as the fruit is sound, the larvae will be killed off by sulfites and fermentation then sink to the bottom of the jug. You'll leave them behind when you rack the wine off the lees.

The biggest quality risks are (1) that fruit likely has been inoculated with acetobacter that will attempt to turn your wine into vinegar (a good dose of sulfites will kill the bacteria too) and (2) the fruit may already be split open and bacteria have already produced some vinegar (remove any bad fruit to minimize this).

 

[Bourniplus]

In my experience, and also from what I've read in other posts, sulfites - at the concentration we add them to the must - don't kill the larvae. I'm guessing the alcohol should take care of them.

 

[madscientist451]

I wouldn't worry about them, they won't drink very much of your wine!

 

[bamajo]

Just transferred my wine from the primary to secondary last night. I used the eckraus recipe as a guideline for 1.25 gallons. I had to add extra sugar and after the acid blend I still ended up adding fresh lemon juice until I got the pH strip to show 3.4. My starting specific gravity was 1.091 and I transferred it at SG 1.022. It actually doesn't taste bad. I had trouble siphoning. I made a siphon using a T connector so I could create a vacuum to get it flowing. I will have to purchase something. Also elderberries release some nasty sticky green stuff that is hard to clean.