In preparation for dehydration to make golden raisins, fresh grapes are dipped in a caustic solution of hot water and NaOH to create small hairline cracks to facilitate moisture removal from the fruit during dehydration. The dipped grapes are rinsed, placed on wood trays, and exposed to sulfur dioxide to preserve color. It is suspected that the heat used in the dipping process contributes to discoloration of the grapes that the sulfur treatment must reverse. In this study, Thompson seedless grapes were treated with a spray formulation of 1% ethyl oleate and 1.5% potassium carbonate at 13 degrees C in water in place of the traditional hot water lye dip. The treated fruit was loaded onto wood trays, separated into four groups, and dosed with sulfur dioxide at rates of 1.6, 3.1, 4.5, and 6.0 kg/t of fresh fruit. The sulfur-treated grapes were dried at 74 degrees C, 63 degrees C, and 57 degrees C. The sulfur content of the golden raisins ranged from 253 to 4040 ppm across all treatments. Even though grapes treated with the oleate formulation and dosed with low levels of sulfur-produced golden raisins with lower sulfur content, the color rating for these golden raisins was not significantly different from golden raisins treated with the traditional hot water dipped and dosed with higher levels of sulfur.