Does Red 40 prevent fermentation?

[Ris]

I am trying to make cherry apple cider. I am using a preservative free cherry cider that has red 40... It has been four days and the cider is not bubbling at all. Is the red40 preventing fermentation?

 

[Ris]

Still no bubbling but there seems to be a film on top of the cider... Does anyone know why?

 

[jsDC]

This thread on Northern Brewer from 2009 has some info on fermenting juices containing Red 40 (even Kool-Aid!). Seems like they ferment fine but the dye might drop out of solution.

http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=73648

 

[Pickled_Pepper]

I doubt there is enough Red 40 in the juice to prevent any stalling of fermentation. It doesn't take much to color something. (This is why it's usually the last ingredient on the list) Cherry juice will typically turn brown when it oxidizes a little so they probably added the 40 to keep it looking reddish.

It could possibly be a temperature issue or even a leak in your airlock/fermentor. If you have a leak the CO2 might be escaping and not bubbling the airlock. If your temp is too low you could have stalled the fermentation. Take a gravity reading and if it's not changed much since your original pitch, you could always pitch another pack of yeast to kick start it.