Clarification and stabilization of wine Organic compounds used as fining agents are generally animal based, a possible cause of concern to vegans. The most common organic compounds used include egg whites, casein derived from milk, gelatin and isinglass obtained from the bladders of fish. Pulverized minerals and solid materials can also be used, with bentonite clay being one of the most common, thanks to its effectiveness in absorbing proteins and some bacteria. Activated carbon from charcoal is used to remove some phenols that contribute to browning as well as some particles that produce "off-odors" in the wine. In a process known as blue fining, potassium
Swim bladder delicacy. In China they are known as "fish maw", 花膠/鱼鳔, and are served in soups or stews. The vanity price of a vanishing kind of maw is behind the imminent extinction of the vaquita, the world's smallest dolphin breed. Only found in Mexico's Gulf of California, the once numerous vaquita now number less than 60 in total. Vaquita die in gillnets set to catch totoaba (the world's largest drum fish). Totoaba are being hunted to extinction for its maw, which can sell for as much $10,000 per kilogram. Swim bladders are also used in the food industry as a source