Go Ferm Protect Heavy Metals Calculation

[CodeSection]

I stopped using Go Ferm because I read somewhere about it containing copper. Today, I contacted Scott Labs to try to get accurate information on what heavy metals was in it. They were kind enough to email me the attached pdf file.

To my surprise, it does not contain copper. However, even a greater surprise was that it contained < 3 mg / kg of arsenic! So, I briefly researched acceptable levels of arsenic in water and found:

"What is the regulatory standard for arsenic in drinking water?
The current drinking water standard, or Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL), from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is 0.010 mg/L or parts per million (ppm)."

Next, I found the kg to liter conversion is 1 kg = 1 liter. Dosage per pdf file is 30 g/hL.

Recommended dosage for starters is 1.25 per 1 g of yeast. So, say US-05 11.5g packet x 2 for a 11 gallon batch equal 23g x 1.25 = 28.75g.

11 gallons = 41.6395 liters. So, 28.75g/41.6395 liters = .69045g/liter. That equals 690.45mg of Go Ferm Protect in the fermenter. 3mg/1000= .003 690.45mg x .003 = 2.07135mg

What am I missing here?

 

[BrewerBrad82]

Your thinking assumes that water and Go Ferm have the same density. I highly doubt a liter of Go Ferm weighs 1kg.

 

[bob1852]

I think your math may be wrong...

You're using 28.75g of GoFerm, which, at most, has 3mg/kg of arsenic...

So, you're using .02875kg of GoFerm (28.75g / 1000).

Of that 0.02875kg of GoFerm in your batch, that amount has (again, at most) 0.08625g of arsenic (3mg/kg X 0.02875 kg)

So, that (at most) 0.08625g of arsenic in the 41.6395 liter (11 gallon) batch is only 0.00207 mg/L (0.08625 / 41.6395).

And again, that's assuming there is the full 3g/kg of arsenic in there, while the label clearly says < 3g/kg.

0.002 mg/L is far below the 0.010 EPA level, and that assumes none of the arsenic (if even present) makes it into the final product and doesn't settle out with the lees.

 

[RPh_Guy]

it contained < 3 mg / kg of arsenic!

To put this into the right context, the arsenic level was probably undetectable by the testing method.

They put this info in the specs to simply give you assurance that it was tested and the result was within safety standards.
They obviously aren't adding arsenic.

 

[CodeSection]

I think your math may be wrong...

You're using 28.75g of GoFerm, which, at most, has 3mg/kg of arsenic...

So, you're using .02875kg of GoFerm (28.75g / 1000).

Of that 0.02875kg of GoFerm in your batch, that amount has (again, at most) 0.08625g of arsenic (3mg/kg X 0.02875 kg)

So, that (at most) 0.08625g of arsenic in the 41.6395 liter (11 gallon) batch is only 0.00207 mg/L (0.08625 / 41.6395).

And again, that's assuming there is the full 3g/kg of arsenic in there, while the label clearly says < 3g/kg.

0.002 mg/L is far below the 0.010 EPA level, and that assumes none of the arsenic (if even present) makes it into the final product and doesn't settle out with the lees.

Ah, yes. I needed to make one more calculation....divide my 2.07135 by 1000 = .00207135.

Thanks!

 

[marc1]

Where on the spec sheet does it say there's no copper? It looks like they don't test for it.

 

[CodeSection]

Where on the spec sheet does it say there's no copper? It looks like they don't test for it.

Great observation!

 

[harrydrez]

Read the sheet again, you probably have never seen a coa before and don't understand that <number of analyte means it is either undetectable or under their safety limit. There also is no copper anywhere there on the sheet, so it was not tested for.

 

[CodeSection]

Read the sheet again, you probably have never seen a coa before and don't understand that <number of analyte means it is either undetectable or under their safety limit. There also is no copper anywhere there on the sheet, so it was not tested for.

I wonder why they would test for some heavy metals and not others. Why not copper, and why arsenic? Strange...I would never have imagine testing for arsenic.

 

[madscientist451]

Off topic, but I find it amusing that folks that regularly consume a known poison, specifically alcohol, would worry about something that is in a yeast energizer.
I have a mead-maker buddy who refuses to use yeast nutrient or go-ferm.
"I'm not putting chemicals in my mead" he says. But he makes, (and drinks a large quantity) the highest ABV mead the yeast can tolerate.

Edit: And watch out cider makers, apple seeds contain cyanide.

 

[RM-MN]

I wonder why they would test for some heavy metals and not others. Why not copper, and why arsenic? Strange...I would never have imagine testing for arsenic.

Copper is not considered a poison, arsenic is. Test for known poisons.

 

[CodeSection]

Off topic, but I find it amusing that folks that regularly consume a known poison, specifically alcohol, would worry about something that is in a yeast energizer.
I have a mead-maker buddy who refuses to use yeast nutrient or go-ferm.
"I'm not putting chemicals in my mead" he says. But he makes, (and drinks a large quantity) the highest ABV mead the yeast can tolerate.

I know what you mean...to some degree. Personally, I consume very little beer (on average 2-3 12oz bottles a week) or any type of alcohol.

 

[CodeSection]

Copper is not considered a poison, arsenic is. Test for known poisons.

Now it makes sense.

 

[Vale71]

Off topic, but I find it amusing that folks that regularly consume a known poison, specifically alcohol, would worry about something that is in a yeast energizer.

Your body is perfectly capable of metabolizing alcohol. This means alcohol will not accumulate in your organism until it kills you. That said, the long term effects of excessive consumption might do just that.
Heavy metals such as arsenic and lead accumulate in your body until they start to more or less severely affect your health, up to the point that you might die from acute poisoning. You might not care about that but you can't expect everybody to share your carefree attitude towards a potentially life-threatening issue. Luckily in most parts of the world there are regulatory authorities that take this issue just as seriously and mandate tests to mitigate such risks.

 

[balrog]

Edit: And watch out cider makers, apple seeds contain cyanide.

Technically, seeds contain amygdalin which degrades to hydrogen cyanide when seeds are chopped or digested.

 

[madscientist451]

Y
Heavy metals such as arsenic and lead accumulate in your body until they start to more or less severely affect your health, up to the point that you might die from acute poisoning.

How much home brewed alcohol would you have to drink for the effects of trace amounts of heavy metals found in Go-Ferm "severely affect your health"?
I'm not doing the math, but I'll go out on a limb and say the amount of alcohol that you will be consuming will kill you before the heavy metals. If you really want to be healthy, quit drinking. I'm splitting the difference and drinking in happy moderation.
We only have 2-6 months left before climate change kills us all, so why worry?

 

[Vale71]

Congratulations, you managed to completely miss my point...