RO Chemicals

[Amber Gold]

Something I've been thinking about is unless you have an RO system, you can produce syrup w/out any chemicals in your entire process. You don't need them to clean your pans or tubing, but have to use them in an RO system. The chemicals we use SMBS for the preservative and Sodium Hydroxide for the wash soap are pretty nasty stuff from what I understand. Are there alternatives to using these chemicals and how are we 100% positive all the chemicals are washed out of the membranes? Even if you run say 2-300 gal of water through a 250gph RO to wash the soap out, is all the soap solution being rinsed out? Just something I've been thinking about over the summer. I love an RO and don't intend to go back...too much fun boiling concentrate.

Thanks for the input.

[Brent]

How do you get the scale out of your pans without chemicals ? Even vinegar is acetic acid.

And you better be using some acid on your membranes, at least every other year, to get the mineral deposits out of them.

Really, I don't think you can make syrup without some of them each step of the way.

[red maples]

Yes vinegar is acetic acid but it is also a natural acid that is OK for the human body to consume in small quanities. He is talking about the chemicals not fit for consumption. Detergents etc. Which are not only bad for humans but bad for the environment!!! but we wash our clothes in them???!!!! wash our dishes in them!!???? and they are quite nasty if you ever look them up.

I think he brings up a good point. I wonder if Doc perkins has any literature on post RO syrup vs straight evap syrup.

In Sugar plants they use massive RO's to reduce the water in cane and beet syrup before it is evaporated under vaccuum and eventually finished into sugar. Very similar process.

[BryanEx]

Sodium Hydroxide is an allowed substance according to the National Organic Standards Board. Not sure what SMBS is or how it rates.

[KenWP]

Smbs is what most wine users make wine with. You add it to the must and wait for a certain period of time then add the yeast.It kills off all the nasties so the yeast is working by its self. Smells like rotton eggs since it gives off sulfer dioxide gas.

[Amber Gold]

For cleaning my pans, I use permeate water during the season and it does a nice job. When the season's over I use rotten sap and it does a great job. I don't consider vinegar to be a harmful because it's been used as a food product almost forever.

SMBS is sodium metabisulfate and it does smell like rotten eggs.

These chemicals are obviously approved for food use (or else we wouldn't be using them), but it doesn't mean there couldn't be more natural alternatives. Look up sodium hydroxide burns and some of those pictures are pretty nasty.

[DrTimPerkins]

I think he brings up a good point. I wonder if Doc perkins has any literature on post RO syrup vs straight evap syrup.

We have done several studies, with one still ongoing, comparing RO syrup to non-RO syrup in terms of chemistry, quality and flavor.

As long as proper cleaning and rinsing protocols are followed, there is no significant amount of residue transferred to sap or syrup from RO use.