Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Iodophor anyone?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Iodophor anyone?

    I just received the following article from a local homebrewer. Please give it read and share your thoughts.

    IODOPHOR
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    By Robert Arguello

    Among the wide range of sanitizing agents available to home brewers, one of the more popular products is a halogen sanitizer/germicide called Iodophor. In spite of the fact that iodophor is a product that most home brewers have used at one time or another, there is an amazing amount of confusion and misinformation about the product. No one seems to agree on the proper concentration, the required contact time, or even what "no-rinse" means. I decided to go directly to the source and called the maker of a popular brand of iodophor… "B-T-F", which is manufactured by "National Chemicals Inc." of Winona, MN. I was connected with the company's General Manager, Dr. L. Charles Landman Sr.

    Dr. Landman, who holds a Ph.D. in Medical Microbiology, graciously granted me a rather extended phone conversation. The text of this article is based largely on that interview.

    Iodophor is a federally approved contact sanitizer that is used widely by the food service/production industry and is most commonly available to home brewers in 4 oz. and 1 liter bottles.

    Having used iodophor as my sanitizer of choice for a number of years, I thought that I had a pretty good handle on what iodophor actually is and I certainly felt confident that I used it properly. I did learn, in the course of this interview with Dr. Landman, that even I suffered from some misinformation on the product and its usage.

    Not the least of these revelations was that I have been overusing the product. B-T-F Iodophor is effective at a concentration of 12.5 ppm. and at that strength, is an effective sanitizer with a contact time of 60 seconds. My practice has been to add 3 capfuls of iodophor to a 5 gallon container of tap water. As it turns out, the cap on a one liter bottle of iodophor has a capacity of ¼ ounce. This means that I was using a concentration of approximately 19 ppm of titratable iodine. To obtain an effective sanitizer, no more than 2 capfuls, (1/2 oz.), need be added to 5 gallons of water. This creates a solution at 12.5 ppm. At the local, retail cost $11.00 per liter, I am very grateful to know that I can cut my consumption by 30%!

    I asked Dr. Landman about iodophor and its usage in the dairy industry as I had read that iodophor was used predominately in that field. He acknowledged that iodophor was indeed a popular dairy germicide but that iodophor is widely used in the general food industry and that breweries were included in that long list. He told me of the original formulation of iodophor sanitizers and I was interested to learn that the original iodophor sanitizers were formulated with acids, (phosphoric and others),. This was done to help in the release of the iodine ion into solution. The "older" iodophor formulations used needed the lower pH to work properly. This low pH was also beneficial to the dairy industry because it also helped them combat a problem they have with "milkstone" that forms on dairy equipment. The "newer" formulations of idophor, (such as B-T-F Iodophor), do not require the low pH to work properly.

    I asked Dr. Landman about the "shelf life" of B-T-F Iodophor and he related a story about one of their distributors who had found a case of the product that had been forgotten for 5 years and returned it to the manufacturer. NCI tested the 5 year old product and found that it still met standards. This was, of course, undiluted iodophor that had been well packaged and protected from exposure to light, air etc.

    Regarding iodophor that has been diluted to a working solution, Dr. Landman explained that there are a number of things that work to degrade the products' efficacy. Chlorine and protein load were the two mentioned first, but Dr. Landman agreed that both sunlight and exposure to the atmosphere may very well be factors. Iodophor is very stable in it's undiluted form, but will begin to degrade, (albeit slowly), once it has been diluted to a working solution. In either case, it is far more stable than chlorine which begins to degrade immediately upon being manufactured. The color of the iodophor solution is a rough guide to it's effectiveness as a sanitizer. If the solution still has its amber color, it is most likely still active. It is recommended that a fresh solution should be mixed when the color fades or after 24 hours.

    I asked about contact time and was told that 60 seconds was adequate. Dr. Landman went on to comment that it is not necessary to keep the surface completely immersed in the solution for 60 seconds. He explained, by way of example, that to sanitize a 5 gallon carboy there is no need to prepare 5 gallons of solution. Swishing a gallon of solution, (at 12.5 ppm), around the inside of the carboy for a minute or two will do the job.

    There is much discussion among home brewers about the dangers of scratches in the walls of plastic fermenters. Dr. Landman agreed that scratches in plastic can lead to problems, but that the real problem is in inadequate cleaning. Organic material can imbed in scratches in any material. If that material is allowed to remain, no sanitizer can be expected to prevent bacteria from forming. Iodophor is not a cleaning agent. Items to be sanitized must be thoroughly cleaned beforehand. Chlorine is no more effective at sanitizing dirty items than is iodine.
    Cheers & I'm out!
    David R. Pierce
    NABC & Bank Street Brewhouse
    POB 343
    New Albany, IN 47151

  • #2
    Nothing new here; only comment is that $11/L is very expensive! I get a gallon of a different brand for about $15. Just needs a drop of fermcap if you don't want it to foam up on you.

    Comment


    • #3
      Agreed. I have been using iodophor for years, and am quite happy with it. Good to know the practices I was trained with ared still enforced.
      Tim Butler

      Empire Brewing Co.
      Syracuse, NY

      Comment


      • #4
        So I'm currently using PAA...is this a suitable substitute for it? What are the specifics relating to temperature and such? What does your standard CIP cycle look like (those of you who are using it)?

        Comment


        • #5
          I think PAA is better. The stuff is mean!! Just my two cents!

          Comment


          • #6
            And what was this gentleman's definition of "no rinse?"

            Cheers!
            Jay

            Comment


            • #7
              For what it is worth......

              Having tasted beer contaminated with Iodophor residues resulting from poor tank rinsing - no way would I ever use it again if I had any say in the matter (we don't currently - due to exactly this sort of problem) It gets used in soak baths sometimes, with instructions to rinse of thoroughly before use. Concentration is still about 50 ppm Iodine I believe. For homebrewing, because of lack of stain, I would prefer to use KMS or hypochlorite.

              Cheers
              dick

              Comment


              • #8
                Just out of curiosity, Dick. How does Iodaphor affect the flavor? I've heard this before, but have never tasted beers side by side to know the difference. Besides saying "the beer tastes medicinal, or like iodine," what flavors does it impart - even at that low a concentration, and are there any health concerns? You seem to be quite learned on this subject, so I thought I would ask.

                Thanks for your input!

                From one Dick to another,
                Dick Shindles

                Comment


                • #9
                  It tastes like it smells!
                  Big Willey
                  "You are what you is." FZ

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by BigWilley
                    It tastes like it smells!
                    Exactly! I guess I cut off the air-dry/no-rinse part of the article. That article was forwarded to me by one of the local homebrew geeks. I posted it thinking there'd be responses like; 12.5 ppm, that's only for glassware in a rest. dishwasher, swish a gallon or two around for a minute or so, etc. The aforementioned geek swears by the article. I've never seen an article related to commercial brewing that recommends less than 25 ppm and my old Siebel manual recommends 50 ppm, which is overkill.

                    I still use iodophor in my uni's and HE's and always followed by a long 180+ degree hot-rinse. I've never tainted my beer with iodophor.

                    Maybe the point of the article was to convince homebrewers that BTF was cheaper by recommending half strength usage or am I missing something?
                    Cheers & I'm out!
                    David R. Pierce
                    NABC & Bank Street Brewhouse
                    POB 343
                    New Albany, IN 47151

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      B-T-F Iodopher

                      The B-T-F Product is not pushed to come across to homebrewers or Craft breweries, brewpubs etc. as cheaper by recommending half strength.

                      I am an Account Executive for the manufacturer National Chemicals, what you are hearing at 10.99 is the MSRP price for the 16.9 FL OZ bottle.

                      Our recommended dosage is 12.5ppm @ 1/10 oz per gallon of water. The B-T-F product can be used with a low temp sanitizing rinse.
                      Last edited by beerclean; 11-21-2008, 08:41 AM.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by dickshindles
                        Just out of curiosity, Dick. How does Iodaphor affect the flavor? I've heard this before, but have never tasted beers side by side to know the difference. Besides saying "the beer tastes medicinal, or like iodine," what flavors does it impart - even at that low a concentration, and are there any health concerns? You seem to be quite learned on this subject, so I thought I would ask.

                        Thanks for your input!

                        From one Dick to another,
                        Dick Shindles

                        As answered elswehere - it tastes much like it smells. But you have a a similar problem with bromides and chlorides, halogen taste / aroma (we have a domestic antisptic in the UK - TCP (trichlorophenol) and they can taste like that) And yes, there are, or probably, were, sterilants using brominated compounds. I think they are now off the market. Concentration only needs to be a few ppb to affect the beer
                        dick

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          B-T-F Iodopher

                          Ratio of the B-T-F Product Manufactured by National Chemicals which is the company owned by Dr. Landman is 1/10 of an oz. per gallon of water.

                          you can get more information from www.nationalchemicals.com if you are looking for an iodopher.

                          Comment

                          Working...
                          X