30G-21 |
Quality and shelf life of processed apple cider |
K. S. TANDON1, R. W. Worobo, J. J. Churey, and O. I. Padilla-Zakour. (1) Department of Food Science and Technology, Cornell University, NYSAES, W. North Street, Geneva, NY 14456 New FDA regulations that require a kill step in the manufacture of apple cider to achieve a 5-log reduction in the pertinent pathogen, have forced many small cider producers to re-evaluate their capacity to profitably sell this product. Current approved methods to render a safe cider include thermal pasteurization and UV exposure. The extra expense associated with purchase of a pasteurizer or UV machine can only be overcome by a high quality product with extended shelf-life. Our objective was to assess the quality and shelf life of apple cider processed by two methods of thermal pasteurization and by UV irradiation, without added preservatives. Fresh apple cider from a local cider mill was processed by three treatments: flash pasteurization (71°C for 6 seconds), hot-filling at 63°C, and exposure to 254 nm UV radiation with a unit validated for apple cider safety. Sensory, microbiological and chemical analyses were conducted every week on samples stored at 7°C to accelerate changes and to simulate marginal refrigeration conditions. All the treatments were duplicated and results analyzed for statistical differences. Storage and sensory studies of UV treated, hot-filled and flash pasteurized cider samples demonstrated that there was no difference in preference among the treatments but thermally treated samples had significantly longer shelf-life. UV pasteurized cider had shorter shelf-life due to yeast growth. There was no difference between the two pasteurized ciders which were well liked by the panelists. The three treatments were effective in reducing the relative high microbial counts of the raw cider. There were no significant differences between the ciders with regards to pH, soluble solids and titratable acidity. The treatments gave equally acceptable safe products. For the small processor, the option to hot-fill at 63°C opens another possibility to use a simple kettle or a low cost continuous pasteurizer to produce a quality cider.
Session 30G, Fruit & Vegetable Product: Processed Fruits and Vegetables
|