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WINEMAKING double-edged tool. And the food industry, at long last, gained the means to exploit sulfur's diverse chemical properties. With little evidence of toxic hazards tarring a long and storied service (aside from a few studies reporting vomiting and gastrointestinal distress at high doses), sulfites earned a slot under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's "gener- ally regarded as safe" category in 1958, when the agency started regulating food additives. During the next two decades, manufacturers showed little restraint in incorporating sulfites into a staggering number of products. A consumer would be hard-pressed to find sulfite-free processed foods in the 1970s and early '80s. The extensive (but not inclusive) list of sulfited foods included fresh, canned, dried and dehy- drated fruits and vegetables, fruit juices, molasses, maple and corn syrup, soup mix, fresh and frozen baked goods, gravy, vinegar, pickles and relish, chips, cookies, crackers, soft drinks, beer, wine, seafood, sugar, frosting and candy. But it wasn't the pantry or wine cellar that posed the greatest threat to sulfite- sensitive individuals. It was the restaurant. Cause for concern While enjoying a casual lunch of hamburger and fries on a European vacation in 1974, a 15-year-old American girl suddenly noticed an angry eruption of red welts colonizing her skin as she gasped for breath. This first brush with asthma sent her to the emer- gency room. Back home, she experienced similar fits during restaurant meals that again required hospital care. During the next few years, the young woman experienced severe adverse reactions to two drugs used to treat her asthma and related symptoms. Sure enough, a series of controlled sensitivity tests revealed that sodium metabisulfite (bisulfite was the only chemical in both drugs) provoked the same symptoms. Reporting the case in the medical journal JAMA in 1982, the girl's doctors called the findings "strong evidence that sodium bisulfite was the cause of the patient's adverse drug and food reactions." The case might not have passed muster at such a high-profile medical journal had it not been for a groundbreaking study the year before. Working with four asthma patients who had reported sudden onset of severe wheezing and respiratory distress while dining out, Donald Steven- son and Ronald Simon tested likely trig- gers in a single-blind, placebo-controlled study. The researchers exposed their patients to potassium metabisulfite and placebos; only potassium metabisulfite produced the asthmatic symptoms. When other researchers replicated these results in larger, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies—the gold standard—it became clear that sulfites could indeed provoke asthmatic symptoms. But how? Online references characterizing sulfite reactions as allergies abound. In a true allergic reaction, immune cells produce immunoglobulin E, a type of antibody Peregrine_Dir11.qxp 11/3/10 5:02 PM Page 1 that interacts with antigens (typically bits of protein), from the offending substance. Although a few cases in the scientific litera- ture speculate antibody involvement, says Steve Taylor, a professor of food science and technology and director of the Food Allergy Research & Resource Program at the University of Nebraska, "certainly the vast majority provide no evidence of that at all. It's not a true allergy." Exposure to sulfites aggravates exist- ing asthma symptoms—though typically not headaches, another persistent myth. Quality • Technology • Service • Counter-pressure Filling • Rotary Labeler with Electronic Orientation • Cork & Screw Caps • On-board Utilities: Power, Nitrogen, Steam & Air German-Engineered Bottling Line by KRONES Call for availability. 707-637-7584 • www.PeregrineMobileBottling.com FREE Downloads: Filling & Labeling Reports on our Website Wines & Vines JAnUARY 2011 55