Bananas, bread and the 0.5% on your bottle

Here’s one for the dinner table: a ripe banana can contain alcohol.

So can bread. And orange juice.

It’s a useful bit of context when you turn over a non-alcoholic wine bottle and notice “less than 0.5%” on the label. That little number deserves a closer look.

Alcohol can form when yeasts turn sugars into ethanol, the alcohol found in wine. It’s the same basic process used in winemaking, and it can happen in food production too. OIV

In a 2016 study published in the Journal of Analytical Toxicology, researchers tested foods bought from German retailers. The ripe banana tested contained about 0.02g of alcohol per 100g of fruit. Packaged wheat toast contained 0.18g per 100g. Orange juices ranged from 0.16 to 0.73g per litre.

The surprise was a particular packaged American-style burger roll, which contained 1.28g per 100g. That was the highest bakery result, so it deserves some context: these were measurements of specific products, rather than fixed values for everything in your kitchen. Original study, Table I

There’s also a small trap in comparing the numbers.

ABV means alcohol by volume. The bread and fruit figures above are measured by weight. You can’t put those percentages side by side and assume they mean the same thing.

Comparing the actual amount of alcohol is more useful. A hypothetical 50g portion of that particular burger roll would contain about 0.64g of alcohol. A 150mL glass at exactly 0.5% ABV contains about 0.59g. If the drink is below 0.5%, the amount is lower. These calculations compare alcohol quantity, rather than its effects. Calculation basis

That brings us back to the wine.

Dealcoholised wine starts with fermented wine. The producer then removes most of the alcohol, using processes such as vacuum evaporation or membrane techniques. Small amounts can remain in the finished bottle. That’s why a label might say “less than 0.5%”. Wine Australia, OIV

The wording still matters. “Less than 0.5%” and “0.0%” tell you different things. Wine Australia’s guidance makes clear that the overall impression of a label matters, including any information explaining that alcohol remains. Read the actual alcohol statement alongside the name on the front. Wine Australia’s labelling guidance

A little more context next time you choose a bottle. And something to talk about while the bread basket goes round.