The Phenolics of Ciders: Effect of processing conditions

Factors affecting yields of phenolics during cider processing have been studied, and levels of individual procyanidins measured under different conditions. Oxidation after juice extraction is shown to be less important than that which occurs during the milling process as the tissue is disrupted. Extraction by means of pectolytic enzymes under sulphited conditions gives valuable increases in juice yield without any loss of phenolics. Warm anaerobic incubation of apple pulp before juice extraction increases the level of organoleptically significant procyanidins by 50%, and use of a sugar‐beet extractor provides even greater increases. The corresponding increases in bitterness and astringency are highly significant. Gelatin fining of cider, by contrast, leads to the loss of up to 20% of the organoleptically significant procyanidins. These results are important in the context of modern cider manufacture and the continuing shortage of bittersweet cider apples.