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Sake and Health
Preservatives
Sake is made without preservatives such as sulfurous acid (sulfites) which is usually added in wine. People sensitive to sulfites can develop an allergy through excess consumption.
Although wine must have sulfurous acid added to prevent its oxidation, sake is able to be distributed without adding any preservatives.
In wine, sulfurous acid also helps to prevent contamination by saprophytic bacteria during fermentation. Sake does not need added sulfurous acid because its original and traditional fermentation process such as “shubo” or “sandan-shikomi” prevents contamination and breeds a pure yeast strain.
The color of sake
Sake is colorless or slightly yellow. The yellow color originates from vitamin B2, which is naturally produced during the fermentation process, and does not affect the quality of the beverage.
One of the current trends in sake is the use of organic rice, which has a growing customer demand. Although the paddy fields of organic rice become weedy, farmers breed “ai-gamo”, a type of duck, and these ducks eat weeds in the fields. This farming method is called “ai-gamo farming” or “rice-duck farming”.
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