H2o2 To Increase Oxygen In Wort And Reduce Bacteria

[tommygun]

Recently I started using Hydrogen peroxide as a sanitiser and have found in easy to use although a little more costly but nothing to worry about. But was interested in how well it does it job and residues into the beer.

From what I have learned It breaks down into water and oxygen which is how in does its job. I also came across plenty of material in using it in drinking water as a disinfectant even as a treatment against diseases.

Now I am wondering has anyone ever heard of or thought about using it in wort say after a boil and cooling adding it to reduce foreign bacteria and oxygenating the wort ready for pitching? Maybe even used in no chill? Just after some other thoughts on it uses.

Thomas

 

[OzMick]

Recently I started using Hydrogen peroxide as a sanitiser and have found in easy to use although a little more costly but nothing to worry about. But was interested in how well it does it job and residues into the beer.

From what I have learned It breaks down into water and oxygen which is how in does its job. I also came across plenty of material in using it in drinking water as a disinfectant even as a treatment against diseases.

Now I am wondering has anyone ever heard of or thought about using it in wort say after a boil and cooling adding it to reduce foreign bacteria and oxygenating the wort ready for pitching? Maybe even used in no chill? Just after some other thoughts on it uses.

Thomas

I would expect it to do more in the way of oxidisation than oxygenation.

Outstanding as a sanitiser though, particularly when coupled with acetic acid, such as in proxitane. Don't get it near skin or eyes though, nasty stuff.

 

[mauriceatron]

It's a good water sanitiser for reducing yeasts in drinking water and you can use it as a sanitiser for your equipment.

Would not be good for adding dissolved oxygen to the wort, you would have to add way too much and still not get the results you want. Better off getting an aquarium pump from one of the site's sponsors.

 

[Bribie G]

 

[Mantis]

The splash from the cube does it for me B)

 

[Thirsty Boy]

I'll stick with anecdotal type arguments.

Yes people have thought about using it as oxygenation - People know about how it breaks down into water and oxygen, I actually understand that it is quite effective at adding dissolved oxygen to wort.

BUT.. nobody I am aware of either commercially or on a homebrewing front actually does it this way. I don't know why, but given that its far from an "unthought of" concept and yet no one is doing it - I imagine there are some decent reasons.

Or it could just be one of those things??

 

[tommygun]

i thought thats the kind of replies I would get. What I really had in mind was where you may not be able to pitch for a few hours, say the starter wasn't to the stage you wanted. So you could add a certain amount of hydrogen peroxide the oxidising effect would help to keep other bacteria away and the bi-product of the decomposition would be Water and Oxygenation into the wort without any other residuals.

But the down fall im sure would be the way the h2o2 would affect the organic compounds in the wort.

The main reason I was thinking of it was to ensure a monoculture when the yeast can't be pitched straight away with the added bonus of an oxygenated wort.

But chemistry I guess is never so simple!

:icon_cheers:

Thomas

 

[FarsideOfCrazy]

I did read on here somewhere a while back that a guy who Ross knew was a scientist or professor (maybe Ross might add to this comment) and if my memory serves me, he used to add a little squirt or hydrogen peroxide to his fermenter when pitching the yeast to give it a kick along.

 

[Darren]

Adding H2O2 to wort is just plain stupid.

Hydrogen peroxide will do nothing other than oxidise your wort.

I'm sure Ross's professor friend will comment further on this issue??

cheers

Darren

 

[kook]

http://brewingtechniques.com/library/backi...4.6/miller.html

To answer your second question, I consulted my friend Dr. George Fix, author of The Principles of Brewing Science (1). Based on his answer, I would not even try to use peroxide as a substitute for an aerating stone. Here's why.

Hydrogen peroxide is basically a water molecule with a second oxygen atom loosely attached. That loose oxygen is highly reactive and makes peroxide a powerful sanitizer. As you might expect, adding a dose of sanitizer to a freshly pitched wort clashes with the mission of your yeast. When Dr. Fix tried using peroxide to oxygenate wort, he managed to kill most of the yeast rather than make it grow. The resulting fermentation was typically problematic - long lag period, slow and incomplete attenuation, high levels of by-products, and so forth. Based on Dr. Fix's findings, I do not recommend peroxide as a substitute for air or oxygen in cold wort, and I see no point in calculating the volume of H2O2 required.

 

[FarsideOfCrazy]

Adding H2O2 to wort is just plain stupid.

Hydrogen peroxide will do nothing other than oxidise your wort.

I'm sure Ross's professor friend will comment further on this issue??

cheers

Darren

Just making a comment about what I read, You can read about hydrogen peroxide in the thread below especially in post #39

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...?showtopic=4722

Not saying it's the right thing to do just that I read it.


edit, added a bit more

 

[MHB]

I once had a similar type of thought about wort colour, (the girl I was seeing wanted clear beer, having had some in the USA) so I think to myself Decolourising Carbon thats its job - to decolourise stuff - just a couple of grams in the kettle should do the job.
Wrong
Decolourising Carbon has a great affinity for hop products, all of them, took out all the bitterness taste and aroma oh and all the colour to, crystal clear, sickly sweet and very unpleasant.
One of these days, I will have to have another go; this time I will carbon treat the Wort, filter the bejesus out of it and then do the boil (just for fun).
Suppose the point is, brewing is full of unforseen outcomes and unexpected results, thats one of the things I love about brewing.

MHB

 

[Bribie G]

I've used Hydrogen peroxide in the past as a mouthwash for gum disease and also on ingrowing toenails and on contact with any organic material it froths up into a huge foamy mass as it nukes the bugs. I can imagine what it would do to proteins etc in wort. Actually I have half a bottle in the bathroom, I'll try it on a small sample on Monday and see what happens, will bump and post B)

 

[Darren]

Just making a comment about what I read, You can read about hydrogen peroxide in the thread below especially in post #39

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...?showtopic=4722

Not saying it's the right thing to do just that I read it.


edit, added a bit more

Interesting,

The agricultural grade sanitiser Ross sells from a dealer (not a professor) is probably not food grade and hence would not meet food grade standards.

cheers

darren

 

[Sammus]

Apologies for digging up this old thread.

I had the same thought as the OP after reading the wikpedia entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_peroxide#Domestic_uses which states that H2O2 can be used in aquariums to give oxygen to fish n stuff...if fish stay alive then surely itll be fine for us. The references aren't great though, just wondering if anyone else has read or seen anything else on this?

 

[chewy]

this whole thread is just feckin stupid aarh! bottoms up mateys!

 

[Online Brewing Supplies]

Interesting,

The agricultural grade sanitiser Ross sells from a dealer (not a professor) is probably not food grade and hence would not meet food grade standards.

cheers

darren

Not food grade ??
Please explain.
Nev

 

[Yob]

Geez Nev.. dont invite him back to explain ffs... er.. 2010 post anyway..

 

[krausenhaus]

Apologies for digging up this old thread.

I had the same thought as the OP after reading the wikpedia entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_peroxide#Domestic_uses which states that H2O2 can be used in aquariums to give oxygen to fish n stuff...if fish stay alive then surely itll be fine for us. The references aren't great though, just wondering if anyone else has read or seen anything else on this?

When I was about 17, I had a party at my parents' house while they were away and one of my mates thought it would be funny to piss in the fish pond all night. It triggered some sort of algal bloom and the next morning all the fish were up at the surface trying to suck in air. I franticly searched the internet and found similar information, so I dug through the cleaning cupboard until I found something with H202 and then poured it in the pond. The fish were back to normal within a few hours.

So in answer to your question, yes, if someone pisses in your wort there's a good chance you can still keep goldfish in it.

 

[Online Brewing Supplies]

So in answer to your question, yes, if someone pisses in your wort there's a good chance you can still keep goldfish in it.

Or you can put it in a bottle and bring it to the case swap