Shelf Life of Additives?

[J-Dewey_1980]

A friend just gave me some wine making supplies but didn't know how old they were. That said, what is the shelf life of these items? Put another way, if you had no idea how old any of these were, which would you keep, and which would you pitch? Thanks in advance:

Campden tablets
Wine Tannin
Pectic Enzyme
Acid Blend
Potassium Sorbate
Yeast Nutrient

 

[wood1954]

I would toss everything but the acid blend and tannin.

 

[winemaker81]

Potassium Sorbate -- Bin it. It has a relatively short shelf life (~2 years), and if it's degraded you'll spend far more uncorking the bottles to let them finish fermentation, then buying corks to re-cork.

If it were me, and I thought the remaining items are more than 2 years old, I'd bin 'em. However, if you're adventurous:

Consider appearance. Powders should be powdered, not clumping, and should not be discolored. If anything looks odd, dump it.

Campden tablets -- If they are kept dry in a sealed container and have no sign of crumbling, they're probably ok. As a test, crush one and dissolve in 1 cup water. Sniff VERY GENTLY -- if it reeks of sulfur, it's good.

Wine Tannin -- some sources say to use within 6 to 12 months once the package is opened.

Pectic Enzyme, Acid Blend, Yeast Nutrient -- Some sources state if it's been kept dry and sealed, and looks fine, it's probably ok.

I make it a habit of writing the date on the package when I buy any additive, and do have the bad habit of keeping some things longer than I probably should.

 

[J-Dewey_1980]

Thanks, all!

 

[Rocky]

A friend just gave me some wine making supplies but didn't know how old they were. That said, what is the shelf life of these items? Put another way, if you had no idea how old any of these were, which would you keep, and which would you pitch? Thanks in advance:

Campden tablets
Wine Tannin
Pectic Enzyme
Acid Blend
Potassium Sorbate
Yeast Nutrient

I would toss everything with the possible exception of the tannin. You state that your friend did not know how old they are. Making a decision by inspection is risky and not worth it, IMHO.

One second thought, I would probably toss the tannin, too.

 

[QuiQuog]

+1 for chucking it all. Compared to the cost of possibly screwing up your wine, the cost of the additives is insignificant.

 

[winemaker81]

Compared to the cost of possibly screwing up your wine, the cost of the additives is insignificant.

This is the heart of the matter. When all things are considered, the additives are the least cost.

@J-Dewey_1980, maybe I'm reading too much into it, but if your friend has no idea how old the items are, it's likely they're way too old. And your wine is too valuable to take that chance with.

 

[Rice_Guy]

Sorbate is humidity sensitive
Campden is humidity sensitive but likely to be ok in a sealed container
Enzymes are high heat (ex 160F) and moisture sensitive they mold. Most of the loss of activity is in the dehydration process, not in storage.
DAP is a chemical salt and will last forever if dry
Fermaid is humidity sensitive and turns into a block, hard to mix without a blender
Acid blend is a chemical and will last forever if dry
Tannin will last in a dry environment, like other wood fibers if wet tannin would mold

 

[winemaker81]

Sorbate is humidity sensitive
Campden is humidity sensitive but likely to be ok in a sealed container
Enzymes are high heat (ex 160F) and moisture sensitive they mold
DAP is a chemical salt and will last forever if dry
Fermaid is humidity sensitive and turns into a block, hard to mix without a blender
Acid blend is a chemical and will last forever if dry
Tannin will last in a dry environment, like wood fibers if wet tannin would mold

Thanks for chiming in.

Based on David's comments, I adjust my advice regarding the Campden, nutrient (if DAP), acid blend, and tannin -- if they look fine, they probably are fine.

Regarding nutrient, there is DAP (Diammonium phosphate) and there are proprietary blends that contain other nutrients. Pure DAP appears to be ok, but the blends may not be.

Sorry to waffle on this subject. My first thought is to dump anything old. However, David is typically correct on technical matters such as this, so I'm backing off on my unilateral binning of everything.