Comment invited on wine additive

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is calling for comment on an application to permit potassium polyaspartate as a food additive in wine.

Potassium polyaspartate can act as a stabiliser by preventing the growth of potassium bitartrate crystals in wine during storage.

“Sometimes known as ‘wine diamonds’ the crystals are not harmful but do impact the quality and appearance of the wine,” said FSANZ CEO Mark Booth.

Enartis Pacific is seeking to amend the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code to allow it to be used at a maximum permitted level of 100 mg/L. No adverse effects were observed in 14-day and 90-day repeated dose oral toxicity studies in rats at doses up to 1000 mg/kg bw/day, and FSANZ concluded there are no public health and safety concerns for its use at the proposed levels.

The FSANZ assessment said it is suitable for use in regular, sparkling and fortified wine, and studies show it is stable for up to 12 months. Consumers could also benefit from wine with improved sensory quality attributes, and its approval as a food additive may open up trade opportunities for Australian and New Zealand wine industries since it is already permitted by the EU.

The deadline for submissions is 6 pm (Canberra time) 25 October 2018.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/baibaz