Researchers at Cornell University, New York, have developed a way to test hydrogen sulphide levels in grape juice, using Alka-Seltzer.

The reason: No one wants wine that smells like rotten eggs. Growers occasionally spray an elemental sulfur compound on grapes in the vineyards to combat powdery mildew, but ex-cessive sulphur residue on the grapes can result in an unpleasant aroma.

“The problem is, if elemental sulphur gets into the grapes that are harvested, it gets converted into hydrogen sulfide,” said Gavin Sacks, professor of enology and food science at Cornell. “And hydrogen sulfide smells like rotten eggs.”

Dropping an Alka-Seltzer tablet into the grape juice helps release hydrogen sulfide, which can then be measured. Sacks is currently distributing a free testing kit de­­vel­op­­ed at Cornell. ( http://Decanter.com )

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