grapefruit seed extract?

[monsterbronc]

I found that some hospitals use GSE (grapefruit seed extract) for a sanitizer, it kills things bleach wont touch, really expensive, but a tiny bit goes a long way, like a few drops for a carboy. Ive been useing it for a while now, and no spoilage. anybody else tried it yet?

 

[malkore]

if its more expensive than star-san, I wouldn't ever remotely consider it.

 

[Scut_Monkey]

I find it surprising that so many people search for alternatives to starsan or idophor. Its so cheap, versatile, effective and convenient. Why gamble with something unproven for making beer? I guess experimentation or preferences for other products is all.

 

[monsterbronc]

truthfully my wife bought the stuff as an alternative to bleach for cleaning, I figured what the heak, its there, I might as well use it.

it was $15 ish for a 4 OZ bottle, and according to instructions, 10 drops for 1 gallon of hot water is sufficiant to kill just about anything (WOW POTENT). so I would say this stuff is really really cheap. expensive initially, but will last a really really long time. every time I use it to clean bottles or fermenters and equipment, I use a little more than recomended just to be safe, and I bet Im only useing a couple cents worth each time.

 

[azscoob]

I just looked into this stuff, it seems like the real deal as far as an antimicrobal, antiviral, antibacterial cleaner. say I have 16oz of starsan, this makes 80 gallons at 1 oz per 5 gallons, with 10 drops per gallon this treats 240 gallons per 4 oz bottle(as verified on the products web page). here is a quote on this stuff... "Grapefruit seed extract has been tested and proven by universities and countless laboratories throughout the world to be at least 10 times more effective than Colloidal Silver, Iodine and Clorox Bleach"

I still have 2 16 oz bottles of star san so I am set for quite a while, but I may look into this for other household duties.

My wife works at the chandler hospital, I am going to ask about this as an effective sanitizer, supposedly it is used in hospitals to sterilize operating rooms surgical tools and as a presurgical scrub we shall see if they recommend using it

 

[fineexampl]

I find it surprising that so many people search for alternatives to starsan or idophor. Its so cheap, versatile, effective and convenient. Why gamble with something unproven for making beer? I guess experimentation or preferences for other products is all.

I don't think it's unreasonable to look for alternatives. especially if some people have a hard time finding one or the other local to them. You can think of it another way in that part of the reason we use hops, aside from sensory reasons, is to preserve the beer and prevent spoilage. that's not too different than using a plant extract as a sanitizer. It's not even much different than cleaning your countertops with vinegar, lemon juice, etc. or baking soda to brush your teeth. i won't even go into holistic medicine.

10 drops for a gallon isn't that bad costwise at $15 for 4oz. That's about what stevia drops cost and that stuff last months in our home.

 

[craigbrew]

I don't know about the hospital grade stuff. I was turned on to GSE that you can get at a health store by a guy at work. Any time I feel like I'm going to get a cold I mix 10 -15 drops with some juice and drink it. Let me tell you it taste horrible. It does kick the colds a$$.

 

[Scut_Monkey]

Seems like it is a good sanitizer and relatively cheap. I just find Starsan to be so user friendly and I like the fact that I can store it in a spray bottle for months and months and it stays good. This alone is THE reason I will not switch sanitizers any time soon. Just my preference though.

The one thing I would want to know is if this product is as effective on organisms that cause brewing contamination. When you're talking surgical/medical contamination you are talking about very different bacteria/mold that may be more easily killed by grapefruit seed extract. Seems like it would be fine but simply something to take into consideration.