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Cider Digest #1122
Subject: Cider Digest #1122, 20 March 2004
From: cider-request@talisman.com
Cider Digest #1122 20 March 2004
Forum for Discussion of Cider Issues
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Use of pectin methyl esterase (PME) in defecation ("Gary Awdey")
root pruning apple trees (Benjamin Watson)
Shredder? ("Mark Ellis")
carbonation (patton@rockisland.com)
Grafting Rubbers... ("chris horn")
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Subject: Use of pectin methyl esterase (PME) in defecation
From: "Gary Awdey" <gawdey@att.net>
Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2004 20:15:36 -0500
In re-reading Andrew Lea's "The Science of Cidermaking" online recently
(http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/andrew_lea/Part4.htm) I
noticed Andrew's comment about the use of pectin methyl esterase (PME)
in defecation (keeving). Unfortunately at the time Andrew wrote it this
enzyme preparation was only available commercially in France. Some
recent investigation shows the situation has changed. Valley Research
produces a "pure" (ie unmixed with other enzymes) pectin methyl esterase
under the trademark name Crystalzyme AES. There has not been a large
[hard] cider market clamoring for it in North America and it has been
marketed for juice production. Similar enzyme preparation has been used
for surface firming of fruit (which makes me wonder if the right
formulation might help pressing pears that have started to blet so you
can get full sugar without a huge mess).
Wondering if this product was comparable to Klercidre I contacted Valley
Research (with thanks to Prof. Thomas Henick-Kling of Cornell University
for a technical contact). The technical rep contacted the European
sister division to learn that the same enzyme preparation is being used
in France for separation of pectin from the must by flotation.
Crystalzyme AES differs from the version of the product being used in
France only in the activity level (which basically means concentration
of the active enzyme solution). He was even able to provide a
recommendation for dosage based on experience to date in France.
The typcial use in the US is as a macerating enzyme in production of a
high-yield juice with a stable pectin cloud. This enzyme (produced from
non-genetically modified Aspergillus niger) demethylizes the pectin
chain without breaking it's backbone, giving it a net charge that causes
it to repel other pectin chains with like charge. This is what makes
the pectin suspension stable. In defecation the addition of ions (eg
from calcium chloride or calcium carbonate) helps crosslink the chains,
forming a gelatinous mass that may be separated by flotation (the
"chapeau brun"). Ideally this carries most microbial impurities with it
and improves the chances of making clear cider free of sickness. It's
essentially the natural process used in traditional French cidermaking
(pectin esterase occurs naturally in apples and if I'm not mistaken
French cidermaking regions have chalky, calcium-rich soil) but with some
help to make defecation more reliable in must from locally grown fruit.
Now here's the kicker: It's mainly used by huge juice production
companies that dwarf even the largest craft cidermakers. It'll probably
end up in the hands of supply distributors such as Presque Isle Wine
Cellars eventually but for now it's only available in bulk. The
smallest quantity available--even with an extra packaging premium--is 1
kg (just under a liter of solution). By my rough calculations (using
the recommendded 7g of enzyme solution per hectoliter of cider) that's
enough to treat somewhere around 3500 gallons. At roughly $120 per kg
that will be relatively inexpensive for the larger users but won't meet
most hobby cidermakers' budgets becuase of the quantity involved. By
the way for about $700 you can qualify for the quantity discount and pay
roughly one cent for enzyme treatment for each gallon of cider...if you
have use for enough enzyme to treat 70,000 gallons!
Now that word's out maybe the homebrew/winemaking supply distributors
will pick up on this in the next few months. If not (and maybe even if
they do if the markup is too outrageous) would anyone be interested in
kicking in on some PME to split it up and save some money? (Sort of an
ad hoc co-op to give everyone who's legally accessible and interested a
chance to try it and compare notes in the Digest to improve the
collective understanding.) The stuff is relatively stable and is said
to lose only about 10% of it's activity in a year if kept refrigerated
so there's no problem with ordering a few months early. If you're
interested send me an email offline (with a rough projection of how much
cider you might want to try making with the enzyme) and I'll see if a
co-op is likely to be viable. If it looks good I'll send out a reminder
later to give you a chance to update your projected use and give others
who missed this posting a chance to try it too. I'd probably place the
order midsummer so it'd be available for anyone planning to include
experimentation with early varieties. (Anyone have a supply of very
small, clean autoclavable capped bottles for repackaging?)
Gary
------------------------------
Subject: root pruning apple trees
From: Benjamin Watson <bwatson@monad.net>
Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2004 21:15:24 -0500
I forgot to respond to this when the subject first came up, but I think
the responses from Andrew and Jack cover much of what I was going to
say.
I certainly don't hold myself out as an expert orchardist, but every
instinct I have about growing trees suggests to me that root pruning
would not be a good idea -- both because you would be cutting back the
feeding roots that lie close to the surface (as others have said), but
also for another reason.
If you're growing apple trees in an orchard situation, the reason you
need to be concerned with spacing the trees correctly based on their
mature size is that apples tend to be allopathic toward members of
their own species. In other words, apple roots grow outward, and then
tend to stop at the root boundaries of other apple trees. They don't
intertwine and form associations or "guilds" as they might with other
trees or shrubs -- or as, say, an aspen forest can become, in essence,
one big "superorganism."
In fact, apple trees are individualists to the extent that you can't
really successfully replant a new tree in the same spot that another
apple occupied -- at least for some time. That's always been my
understanding, at any rate.
I don't know how germane this is to Thomas Beckett's original question,
though, which is really about terroir and his desire to grow fruit (and
make cider) that is reflective of his growing conditions.
This question I HAVE thought about quite a bit -- and my conclusion is
that root pruning is not going to make any significant contribution to
the terroir of the fruit. In fact, I don't really know how one can
affect terroir in any respect, unless it involves planting the trees on
a particular aspect or in a particular soil type (though that too is
usually out of one's hands). The beauty of terroir is the fact that it
is NOT capable of manipulation -- it's entirely natural and reflective
of local soils, climatic conditions, seasons, etc. And in terms of
cider, you are probably more beholden to the wild yeasts in your region
and cider room than any other single factor (except varieties of
apples) in determining the character of your cider.
But do apples and cider have a terroir, like grapes and wine? I venture
to say that many, if not most of us on the Digest would agree that they
do.
Ben Watson
------------------------------
Subject: Shredder?
From: "Mark Ellis" <mark@artisansrus.com>
Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2004 08:24:55 +1100
G'day all,
I have a questions that I hope someone has also experienced.
I am building my own apple mill but it is going to take me a while to get
all the parts bit by bit so I wanted to have a "get out of jail" solution by
buying something in the meantime that will do a ok job and not cost a heap!
I was down at the local Bunning's hardware the other day and I was looking
at the various garden shredders/chippers and I thought, hello, we may have
something here.
Biggest issue is that most of the internals are uncoated mild steel or
alloy. But.
I found one from GMC that has a fully enamelled internal everything , except
for the actual 2 blades. Even the blade wheel mount is coated.
In theory that is all good, and the cost is only 169Aussie / 120US / 80UK so
that is good news.
My question is will it work ok for apples and pears? I am concerned that I
might end up with buckets full of apple coleslaw which is a bit too coarse.
I guess I could just run it through again but wanted to see if anyone had
experience it this area.
Many Thanks ;-)
MarkEinOz
------------------------------
Subject: carbonation
From: patton@rockisland.com
Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2004 13:50:02 -0800 (PST)
Good to see the discussion of carbonation. As a brewer, I've come to like
all things--beer, wine, cider, in a sparkling form. A few comments:
1). Bottle conditioning can be a great way to go. I've used around .3
grams (.001 ounce) of dextrose per ounce of product. Mixing is really
important. I had a batch of sparking wine a few years ago (when I was
being lazy) that blew some bottles and had no bubbles in the others.
2). If you go above the .3 grams per ounce don't use beer bottles. They
can't handle the pressure. Use sparkling wine bottles.
3). Make sure your product is attenuated and there is no stuck
fermentation. If you have residual sugar and you add more sugar and yeast,
you will need to explain the sudden presence of cider and glass shards to
your household. Taste, hydrometer or Clinitest can all tell you if this is
a problem.
4). I've seen a whole lot of different programs suggested for rehydration
of active dry yeast. I'd just follow the instructions of the manufacturer
(and they do differ).
5). Think about using a liquid pure culture for your yeast addition. These
are available at virtually all home wine/beer making shops. I've been
running some trials and trying to write a paper on this, and you might be
surprised by the differences between the two even using the same strain.
And of course you can still get worked up by cell counts and all that, but
that's better to discuss over a glass.
Jim Patton
Cane Bayou
------------------------------
Subject: Grafting Rubbers...
From: "chris horn" <agent_strangelove@hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 19 Mar 2004 07:55:28 -0800
Well I finally found someone that would sell me grafting rubbers locally. I
called on the phone and they said that they had them in bulk and I could buy
just what I needed..... Well after fighting my way over they in rush hour
traffic, I found that yes they sell them in bulk but the min. purchase is a
pound.... I needed about 30 of them.... So if anyone needs some grafting
rubbers, please drop me a note. I now have enough for the next 6
generations of my family.... They are 1/4"x6"x.020". So if anyone needs a
few, I will throw 50 of them in an envelope for $3 and they will go via
first class mail to your door step in the states. If you are else where or
need more, drop me a note.
Thanks Dick for running this mailing list....
Thanks
Chris Horn
Agent_Strangelove@hotmail.com.nospam (remove the nospam part...)
Scapppose Oregon USA
'Victory goes to the player who makes the next-to-last mistake'
-Savielly Grigorievitch Tartakower
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End of Cider Digest #1122
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