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Author Topic: Fermcap, how much is too much?  (Read 12496 times)

Offline erockrph

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Re: Fermcap, how much is too much?
« Reply #15 on: May 08, 2012, 07:52:17 am »
I listened to BS and JZ went on a bit about it. What I'm not clear on is- how "it collects in the liver"?
Liver? I thought it was kidneys?

It doesn't really collect anywhere. Dimethylpolysiloxane is in simethicone, which is in turn in Maalox/Mylanta/Gas-X/Mylicon/etc. Simethicone is about as innocuous as drugs go. It is largely excreted unchanged in the feces. None of my tox references even recommend any treatment at all for oral overdoses, and report that no significant toxicity is expected after ingestion. If we can give this drug chronically to our micro-preemies in the NICU, I have zero reservations about putting a few drops in my beer.
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Offline bo

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Re: Fermcap, how much is too much?
« Reply #16 on: May 08, 2012, 08:01:44 am »
It doesn't provide enough benefits for me to take a chance on it. Use large boil kettles and fermenters and you don't need it.

Offline ccfoo242

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Re: Fermcap, how much is too much?
« Reply #17 on: May 08, 2012, 08:06:26 am »
It doesn't really collect anywhere. Dimethylpolysiloxane is in simethicone, which is in turn in Maalox/Mylanta/Gas-X/Mylicon/etc. Simethicone is about as innocuous as drugs go. It is largely excreted unchanged in the feces. None of my tox references even recommend any treatment at all for oral overdoses, and report that no significant toxicity is expected after ingestion. If we can give this drug chronically to our micro-preemies in the NICU, I have zero reservations about putting a few drops in my beer.

Yeah, the only negatives I found were from quacks like Mercola. My rule is, is Mercola says it's bad then he is probably selling a product that will "detox" you from its effects, therefor its ok to ingest.  ;D
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Offline Hokerer

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Re: Fermcap, how much is too much?
« Reply #18 on: May 08, 2012, 08:45:17 am »
It doesn't provide enough benefits for me to take a chance on it. Use large boil kettles and fermenters and you don't need it.

+1.  This is a good philosophy in general.  Even if something has a 0.00000001% chance of causing issues, that's still more than the 0% you'd get with not using it at all.
Joe

Offline denny

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Re: Fermcap, how much is too much?
« Reply #19 on: May 08, 2012, 09:14:11 am »
My opinion of Fermcap has changed over time.  While I don't think it's a major health risk, I have enough questions about it that I try to avoid using it whenever possible.  I used to add it to the kettle to prevent boilovers.  Now I stand there with a spray bottle.  I just had to use it in a fermenter and while I would rather not have used it, I put it in.
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Offline morticaixavier

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Re: Fermcap, how much is too much?
« Reply #20 on: May 08, 2012, 10:52:39 am »
neither here nor there, but back in my early 'brewing' days, when I was trying to make mead, one of the books I had recommended using antifoam by just smearing a ring of the stuff around the inside of the carboy neck, so it's not in the brew and only comes in contact if the foam builds up to close to the top of the neck. don't know if that would work with fermcap but it would minimize the amount actually in the beer no?

perhaps the more stable foam of beer would not behave the same as mead foam though.
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Offline euge

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Re: Fermcap, how much is too much?
« Reply #21 on: May 08, 2012, 11:16:31 am »
I listened to BS and JZ went on a bit about it. What I'm not clear on is- how "it collects in the liver"?
Liver? I thought it was kidneys?

It doesn't really collect anywhere. Dimethylpolysiloxane is in simethicone, which is in turn in Maalox/Mylanta/Gas-X/Mylicon/etc. Simethicone is about as innocuous as drugs go. It is largely excreted unchanged in the feces. None of my tox references even recommend any treatment at all for oral overdoses, and report that no significant toxicity is expected after ingestion. If we can give this drug chronically to our micro-preemies in the NICU, I have zero reservations about putting a few drops in my beer.

The Rolaids with the simethicone are awesome! Unfortunately I haven't been able to find any for a few years. Not that I need them that much anymore.

That's what I thought. Sounded like another BS assertion that it "collects" anywhere  except in the colon to be excreted.

Usually I use it in my pasta water.

And on occasion I'll need a drop or two in a crazy boil like I had on Sunday, where I was amazed that it didn't work like it normally does. Had two more boil overs after I used a couple drops to knock down the first one. And that was with a weak gravity boil.
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