Is there a zinc salt that can be used in the wort to make yeast health better?

[Elysium]

I know that many of the nutrients (elements) yeast require is in the wort, but I have read that wort lacks of zinc.

Zinc can be added, but I cant remember in the form of what. I think this is the last thing I need to have good yeast health in my brew. I'd appreciate if someone told me what this salt or compound is.

Thanks

UPDATE: I have just found this zinc product on ebay and it is mentioned in an article I came across. This might be a good idea to use....I just dont know how much per 5 gallons, but in the article they say 111 mgs per 5 gallons.

 

[flars]

Saying that wort lacks zinc is a pretty general statement. Does all wort lack zinc. Is zinc a component of yeast nutrients? Do you have a high zinc content in your brewing water? You won't know if your wort lacks zinc unless you have an analysis done.

An analysis would be better than trying to adjust a problem which may not exist.

 

[BudzAndSudz]

I use Koppaclear and Servomyces. Both work fantastic.

 

[IslandLizard]

...in the article they say 111 mgs per 5 gallons.

That article mentions 11 mg of Zinc Sulphate Heptahydrate, ZnSO4(H2O)7, per 5 gal wort:

Do the math and you'll find that the appropriate dose is about 11 milligrams (mg) per 5 gallons of wort.​

 

[Elysium]

That article mentions 11 mg of Zinc Sulphate Heptahydrate, ZnSO4(H2O)7, per 5 gal wort:

Do the math and you'll find that the appropriate dose is about 11 milligrams (mg) per 5 gallons of wort.​

I wish I could do the math....but I am not there yet. I agree with some previous comments to figure out more about the water profile...it might contains some zinc. The original post is more the way for me to find out what people think of using zinc....and if they ever use it.

 

[IslandLizard]

I wish I could do the math....but I am not there yet. I agree with some previous comments to figure out more about the water profile...it might contains some zinc. The original post is more the way for me to find out what people think of using zinc....and if they ever use it.

The math is simple. It is a fraction of the microbiologist's recommendation of "one gram of zinc sulfate heptahydrate per 15 barrels of wort."

I was only hinting at a possible typo you made in quoting the amount. You wrote 111 mg, where the article mentions 11 mg.

Most living organisms need minerals, although some of them only in small or even trace amounts, to function, such as Cu, Mo, Co, Zn and many others. Those same minerals in larger quantities can also be poisonous, e.g., the Rhino virus (which gives us humans the "common cold") cannot thrive in a zinc-rich environment, so eating a few chelated zinc tablets before or at the onset of an oncoming cold will help you prevent getting the cold at all, or fight it off quicker.

Typically most organisms obtain those minerals at sufficient quantities from their food or drinks in their respective environments. Natural selection and evolution has done its work. Now if zinc, in this case, is a mineral supplement yeast can benefit from, either because it is deficient or in short supply in the wort, its environment, then we should consider that option. It's not totally off the wall to give yeast a "multi-vitamin pill" and the more reason if she returns the favor through better fermentation and beer!