Brussels, 21/12/2012 (Agence Europe) - European researches have made progress towards finding an alternative to adding sulphur dioxide to red wine and other foodstuffs, such as dried fruit, holding out the hope of making future festive seasons healthier for millions. Sulphur dioxide (SO2), labelled E220 on food packets, is used as a preservative for certain dried fruits and as an antimicrobial and antioxidant in winemaking. While SO2 can be tolerated by most people in small quantities, it can cause allergic reactions or headaches in others. Members of the so2say project, funded by the EU and led by ttz Bremerhaven (a German research centre) think that they have now identified a combination of two extracts - both naturally occurring in wine - that can be used instead of SO2. Its use could reduce the presence of SO2 in wine by more than 95%. Wine containing the new additive has already been tested in the United Kingdom, Spain and Germany, where it is judged to be as good as bottles containing sulphur. A further batch was bottled in May 2012 and will be opened in January 2013 by the nine members of the project. Further tests will follow four months later. If these tests are successful, the technical feasibility of the new extract will have been demonstrated and the procedures for its authorisation can start. (LC/transl.fl)