metabisulphite
- noun
- /ˌmɛtəˈbaɪsəlfaɪt/
- UK
- Sodium metabisulphite is commonly added to wine to prevent spoilage and maintain its flavor.
Examples
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The label on the juice bottle indicates that it contains potassium metabisulphite as a preservative.
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In addition to the lower initial pH, various additives, such as sodium metabisulphite and pH adjusters such as hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide, contribute buffering capacity (16, 18).
Academic text (2015) -
Many packaged foods use metabisulphite to help preserve freshness and extend shelf life.
Surface Forms
Morphology
metabisulphite = bisulphite (opaque) = meta + bi + sulphite
The form is built by adding the chemical prefix 'meta-' to 'bisulphite', but the resulting term is highly specialized and not compositionally obvious to typical learners.
Etymology
The word metabisulphite comes from the parts meta- and bisulphite, where bis- means 'two' and sulphite comes from 'sulphur', the chemical. Think of it as 'two sulphur parts joined', so metabisulphite is a sulphur-based chemical often used as a preservative and antioxidant in foods and drinks.
