dried fruit

[whyhellochello]

i just bought a bag of dried fruit from sams club..and in the ingredients it says..dried pluots(its a cross between a plum and apricot), and sulfur dioxide...what is the sulfur dioxide..and why is it in there??
is it bad?!

[DavidZaneMason]

From Wiki:

As a preservative

Sulfur dioxide is sometimes used as a preservative for dried apricots and other dried fruits due to its antimicrobial properties, it is sometimes called E220 when used in this way. The preservative is used to maintain the appearance of the fruit and prevent rotting. Its presence can give fruit a distinctive chemical taste.

Here's the full link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfur_dioxide

-David Z. Mason

[Revvell]

Yes, it's bad. For me, it caused asthma attacks which almost killed me ~ twice. It's killed people who had never ever had asthma previously. Insidious poison that should not be allowed in our food supply.

Revvell