K-meta?

[SeanAK26]

Hi! I'm a beginner wine maker, so I apologize now for my lack of terminology...

What exactly is K-meta and what different uses does it have?

Thanks!

 

[cpfan]

K is the chemists abbreviation for potassium (Na is sodium)
meta is a short cut for metabisulphite

So K-meta is potassium metabisulphite. It is the active ingredient in most campden tablets.

Uses....
1) clears your sinuses (in an industrial strength kinda way)
2) stuns yeast and some bacteria (note contrary to popular opinion it does not kill yeast)
3) anti-oxidant to lengthen the shelf-life of finished wine.

Do not confuse with potassium sorbate. Under the right conditions that will stop the yeast from reproducing, in essence shutting down fermentation.

Steve

 

[gonzo46307]

Hi! I'm a beginner wine maker, so I apologize now for my lack of terminology...

What exactly is K-meta and what different uses does it have?

Thanks!

I'm a beginner also, so I'm sure some of the more experienced people will correct me if I'm wrong...

K-meta = Potassium Metabisulphite, it has many uses...if you're making fruit wine, you can add it to the must about 24hours before pitching the yeast to retard any natural wild yeast starting early fermentation. It's also used as a preservative, when you're ready to clarify and bottle. I also use it as a sanitizer (in stronger doses) for any equipment I use to make wine.

I believe camden tablets are a bit more concentrated then the powdered k-meta...hopefully someone will chime in with the conversion factor...

Peace,
Bob

 

[Wade E]

All the above is true. Campden tablets for making a sanitizer solution is not economical. It takes about 4 tablets to make up a 1/4 tsp. There are 3 tsps basically in one tblsp so you would need about 48 tablets per 1 gallon of sanitizer solution.