Sulfite Residues in Maraschino Cherries

A survey of 53 samples of maraschino cherries from 14 different processors revealed that total sulfite residues averaged 52.3 ± 44.7 ppm. However, 58.5% of the samples had less than 40 ppm total SO 2 , while only 7.6% had greater than 120 ppm total SO 2 indicating that the distribution was skewed in the direction of lower residue levels. Free sulfite residues in the 53 samples were considerably lower averaging 14.2 ± 7.1 ppm. With free SO 2 levels, 35.8% of the samples had less than 10 ppm free SO 2 , while only 5.7% had greater than 30 ppm free SO 2 . With an average serving size of one cherry (3 ‐ 7g), maraschino cherries would contribute only 0.16 – 0.37 mg per serving of total sulfites as SO 2 .