APPLE CIDER PROCESSING

Introduction

PMG In the processing industry, apples are often used for the production of sauce and juice, but can also be processed into other products, such as cider and cider vinegar. Cider and vinegar are both produced by fermentation. Cider is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented apple juice (at least in England). However, in the US, ‘cider’ meant rough apple juice while ‘hard cider’ is the fermented stuff. Various types of apples are needed to make good blended cider. Sweet apple cider (Sweet apple cider, by its name, is much sweeter due to the presence of either unfermented or added sugar. Dry cider Dry ciders are those which have been left to ferment to maturation.

Principle

Fermentation is the basis of Vinegar processing. During alcoholic fermentation, yeasts utilise sugar in apple juice to produce ethanol, an anaerobic process that results in cider The production of vinegar involves an additional aerobic fermentation step, where acetic acid bacteria convert ethanol in cider into acetic acid. The sensorial characteristics of cider and vinegar depend on the fermentation processes microorganisms and the selected processing techniques.

Production

The process of manufacturing of Apple cider vinegar completes in the following steps1.Harvesting: Harvesting is done between September and December ,manual collection is done by sacks, and more extensive orchards are harvested mechanically. 2.Selection of Apples: Apples should be firm and ripe. Green, under mature apples cause a flat flavor. 3.Sweating: It is optional mellowing period, the apples are stored in a clean, odor free area, sometimes they are allowed to mellow and soften for about a week to ten days before grinding 4.Washing: After the apples have mellowed, they must be washed to remove leaves, twigs, insects, spray residues, and harmful bacteria. They are automatically poured out from the bins onto a scrubber.

5.Grinding: As apples are a hard fruit, slicing is necessary to facilitate juice extraction. This is done with high-speed rotary blades, which reduce the fruit to a pulp or the apples are put in a large mill and ground to a fine pulp with applesauce consistency. It is done to ensure that the maximum amount of juice can be extracted from the apples. 6.Pressing : To extract the juice from the mash, three main types of presses are used in commercial production of apple juice; the hydraulic press, the screw press and the belt press. Unlike the hydraulic press, the screw press is operated continuously and has a high working capacity. Two additional types of presses are the bladder press and the basket press. These are mainly used in small and medium-scale production. 7.Pasterurization: It is done around 92°C for 10-15 sec. It is done to kill all the unwanted microorganism. 8.Cooling and Filling: The juice expelled from the pomace is pumped through plastic tubes to a cooling tank. As the cider is transferred to the cooling tanks, it is passed through a screen mesh to remove any pulp pieces from the liquid. It is then chilled and stored at 33° F (0.6° C). This helps to inhibit the contamination by undesirable microorganisms. Preservatives such as potassium sorbate are added and the juice is sent off to the fermentation tank. 9.Fermentation: The apple juice ferments for eight weeks often in two stages This includes classical alcoholic fermentation of sugars into ethanol performed by yeast strains followed by acetobacter fermentation to produce vinegar. 10.Racking off: Using a clean plastic tube, the cider is drained off into the second fermenting tank or directly into bottles. 11.Filtering or fining: This step makes a cider crystal clear. It can be done by: a) Using a closed filter system avoiding exposing the cider to air. b) Mixing gelatin, bentonite, and pectic enzyme into the cider to clear unwanted material.

12.Aging and Bottling: Ageing is done in oak barrels to enhance the flavour. Use sterile bottles for cider. For an “in-bottle fermentation” small amount of sugars may be added to each bottle. Cap or cork the bottle and then pasteurize the cider to prevent further fermentation. To avoid killing the yeast by pasteurization after adding sugar, the addition of sulphur is most practiced.

13. Storage: The bottles should be kept in a cool, dark storage place.

Conclusion

Cider is made from fermenting apple juice, which relies on natural yeast present in the apples for fermentation . In the United States, fermented alcoholic apple juice is called "hard cider," while freshly pressed, nonalcoholic cider is called "sweet cider." It contains acetic acid and nutrients such as B vitamins and vitamin C.