Potassium Sorbate in Prunes?

[dderemiah]

I want to use some prunes for mouth-feel and noticed after buying them that they are preserved with Potassium Sorbate. Will boiling the plums lower the content of K-Sorb?

Also, I have a plum tree, but the plums do not seperate from the pits. How important is it that they be pitted? I was thinking that I would just freeze, thaw, then stomp like grapes. After a time fermenting, strain the pulp and pits.

 

[Wade E]

I would not add them as they can prevent your yeast from multiplying resulting in a stuck fermentation.

 

[Luc]

Sulphite can be reduced by boiling however I have never read that boiling will deminish sorbate. I would be very carefull with that.

By using fresh plums I just mash them with a potatoe masher.
And I make the wine from pure plum juice.

Last year I made the wine by bringing the sugar level up with simple surup: 1 part water on 1 part sugar.
That dilluted the plum juice a bit which gave it a real mild taste.

You can read my story on making plum wines here:
http://wijnmaker.blogspot.com/2007/07/soms-lopen-de-dingen-in-het-leven.html

And here:
http://wijnmaker.blogspot.com/2009/08/pruimentijd-2009-plums-again.html

Remember that plums have a layer of wax on the surface. That will make the wine a pain to clear until you wash the plums in a soda-ash solution. That wax will dissolve in the soda sollution and that helps tremendous.

My plum wines always clear without any aid from fining and filtering.

Anyway, read both stories which will give you a whole lot details.

Luc