Rinsed grapes in Hypo Clearing Agent -- OK to eat?

Trask · Jan 15, 2014

Weird, I know. I made up a gallon of Kodak Hypo clearing agent and stored it in empty Heinz White Vinegar bottles, adding my own label that it contained HCA and required dilution. So I go buy some red grapes; our standard practice is to rinse fruit in tap water to get rid of dirt etc, then place in vinegar diluted 1:3 with water for about a minute, then rinse off the vinegar with distilled water. (Maybe I should not I do all this because I'm in Pakistan and these are grapes right off the vine.)

You can guess what happened: my wife thought my HCA was vinegar, and used went through the process using HCA instead of vinegar.

Looking at the HCA MSDS, it's clear that you shouldn't drink HCA, but neither does it seem to be really bad stuff (sodium sulfite and sodium bisulfite).

Obviously I can toss the grapes and start all over again, but I'm curious about the fundamental question if grapes rinsed in diluted HCA would be harmful to one's health. Any thoughts?

Hexavalent · Jan 15, 2014

Wash for thirty minutes ensuring at least five complete changes of water, 30 seconds in photo-flo....

I have no idea

Jim Taylor · Jan 15, 2014

Looking at the MSDS info you posted, I wouldn't worry.

Quite ironic that you used HCA to wash grapes - sulphites are used as preservatives (often in wine), and bisulphite is used to prevent loss of colour and oxidation in wines, and also to sterilise brewing equipment!

wildbill · Jan 15, 2014

sure. eat them and if you don't post the results, we'll know it wasn't a good idea.

mwdake · Jan 15, 2014

Do a residual fixer test on them first.

cliveh · Jan 15, 2014

This sounds similar to the "drink me" bottle in Alice in Wonderland.

Gerald C Koch · Jan 15, 2014

As a chemist I really wouldn't worry about it. Just rinse them briefly in water.

Trask · Jan 15, 2014

Thanks, everyone -- and it's nice to have Gerald as a chemist weigh in. And wildbill, I love your answer -- too true!

JW PHOTO · Jan 15, 2014

Well, if you don't eat them all they should at least last a lot longer in the fridge.

Trask · Jan 15, 2014

Ate some 20 minutes ago after rinsing them in vinegar/water 1:3 and then removing the vinegar with distilled water rinse. I'm still kickin'...

RalphLambrecht · Jan 16, 2014

Trask said:
Weird, I know. I made up a gallon of Kodak Hypo clearing agent and stored it in empty Heinz White Vinegar bottles, adding my own label that it contained HCA and required dilution. So I go buy some red grapes; our standard practice is to rinse fruit in tap water to get rid of dirt etc, then place in vinegar diluted 1:3 with water for about a minute, then rinse off the vinegar with distilled water. (Maybe I should not I do all this because I'm in Pakistan and these are grapes right off the vine.)

You can guess what happened: my wife thought my HCA was vinegar, and used went through the process using HCA instead of vinegar.

Looking at the HCA MSDS, it's clear that you shouldn't drink HCA, but neither does it seem to be really bad stuff (sodium sulfite and sodium bisulfite).

Obviously I can toss the grapes and start all over again, but I'm curious about the fundamental question if grapes rinsed in diluted HCA would be harmful to one's health. Any thoughts?

this is the one case where i would not cut washing time in half after HCA.
as |I always saydon't store photochemicalsin food containers;otherwise there will be a mix up eventually

piu58 · Jan 16, 2014

Many years ago we made a hiking trip in the mountains. On the last day we had no drinking water left. But a small amount of petrol in a beer bottle. Everybody was said, this ist petrol, be carful. But you guess what happened nevertheless. (Nothing real fatal happened, but it was not enjoyable for the person who drunk a bit of petrol)

Since this time I never store chemicals in food containers.

~

Once I eat a small amount of henna which my wife left in the kitchen. I thought it was spinach. Tasts bitter.

MattKing · Jan 16, 2014

Ever get the feeling of deja vu (there was a url link here which no longer exists)?

Murray Minchin's post in that thread (#6) is one of my all time APUG favourites.

David Lyga · Jan 16, 2014

HCA is primarily sodium sulfite, a food preservative. It might also have other chemicals as well, but I would trust Koch's response. Rinse briefly in pure water. - David Lyga

Wayne · Jan 16, 2014

Why is your wife rinsing grapes in the darkroom, or why are you storing photochemicals in food bottles in the kitchen without telling your family? That is the real question here.

Xmas · Jan 16, 2014

Trask said:
Ate some 20 minutes ago after rinsing them in vinegar/water 1:3 and then removing the vinegar with distilled water rinse. I'm still kickin'...

Well we saturate out french fries (and battered fish) in neat vinegar and then eat them (fish and chips is an English delicacy).

The live beer we drink is pumped from barrels in the pub cellar and the lines (pipes) are left for an interval with sterilizing fluid, sometimes daily, they pump the sterilizing fluid out with water or beer so the first pint may have some contaminant, which they discard... Think they use sodium metabisuphite...

Pint anyone?

Noel

fotch · Jan 16, 2014

Wayne said:
Why is your wife rinsing grapes in the darkroom, or why are you storing photochemicals in food bottles in the kitchen without telling your family? That is the real question here.

How many times has it been discussed:food bottles reused in the darkroom vs bottles purchase for chemical storage both being safe.

Xmas · Jan 16, 2014

I only handle wet photo chemicails with rubber gloves and only use PQ soups and Rodinal, with powders face mask.

The cyclic hydrocarbons are pretty dangerous, e.g. if you are sensitized by metol you will be sorry.

bvy · Jan 16, 2014

My wife has the oddball cousin that used stop bath to make salad dressing. This was in the 70's, and she's still here. Mostly.

Xmas · Jan 16, 2014

bvy said:
My wife has the oddball cousin that used stop bath to make salad dressing. This was in the 70's, and she's still here. Mostly.

Most of the dressings have vinegar?

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes-and-cooking/50-salad-dressing-recipes/index.html

ath · Jan 16, 2014

Trask said:
my wife thought my HCA was vinegar, and used went through the process using HCA instead of vinegar.
[...] Any thoughts?

Yes. Life taught you a lesson. Did you listen?

DREW WILEY · Jan 16, 2014

Hmmm. Stop bath is basically just vinegar, and the same soldium sulfite we use in the darkroom is what fastfood restaurants add to salads and bottlers add to wine to slow oxidation. But harmless? Some people are deathly allergic to sulfites, and personally, I prefer to use kitchen vinegar rather than stop bath to make my salad dressing. Ya just never know. Ever look at the fine print of what goes into an ordinary box of table
salt? Same brightener pigments they use in paint. But I wouldn't pour paint on my breakfast eggs in the morning if I ran out of salt in the shaker.

eclarke · Jan 16, 2014

None of this is as bad as the air...

Rinsed grapes in Hypo Clearing Agent -- OK to eat?

Moderator

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency