Investigation

[billroper]

I went back to T-Bob's for lunch today and had a nice conversation with the owner about the probable source of sulfites in the meal that I had there about two weeks ago that triggered my allergy attack. We concluded that the most likely culprit was the oyster crackers, but they had run out, so I couldn't check the label.

I will be much more careful with oyster crackers from now on.

Comments

[bedlamhouse]

I looked at my Kroger oyster crackers and didn't see any direct mention of sulfites as a preservative or an ingredient. Not sure whether they would hide in some of the shortenings and things, though.

[billroper]

The keywords to look for are: sulfite, bisulfite, metabisulfite, and sulfur dioxide. They all end up meaning the same thing to me. :)

In the case of crackers, it's used as a "dough conditioner". What it means is that the dough is allowed to sit around before baking and they don't want it to turn dark. The only reason for putting sulfites in something is to keep them from darkening due to exposure to air.

*sigh*