Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Dec 15;12(24):4494.
doi: 10.3390/foods12244494.

Effect of Apple Cultivar and Selected Technological Treatments on the Quality of Apple Distillate

Maria Balcerek  1 , Katarzyna Pielech-Przybylska  1 , Urszula Dziekońska-Kubczak  1 , Anita Bartosik  1
Affiliations

Effect of Apple Cultivar and Selected Technological Treatments on the Quality of Apple Distillate

Maria Balcerek et al. Foods. .

Abstract

Apple producers are looking for new markets to dispose of their harvest surpluses. One of the solutions may be the production of apple spirits by small distilleries. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of apple cultivars and technological treatments, i.e., pasteurization, depectinization, and deacidification, on the fermentation efficiency and quality of the distillates. Samples for fermentation were prepared from Polish apple cultivars (Antonówka, Delikates, Kosztela, Kronselska). The control samples were raw pulp-based samples. After fermentation, the samples were analyzed for ethanol, residual sugars, and by-product content by the HPLC technique. The distillates were tested for volatile compounds by the GC-MS method and their sensory evaluation was performed. Raw pulp-based samples, independent of the apple cultivar, showed fermentation efficiencies between (75.77 ± 4.69)% and (81.36 ± 4.69)% of the theoretical yield. Depectinization of apple pulp prior to fermentation resulted in the highest ethanol concentration and yield up to approximately 89%. All tested apple distillates were rich in volatile aroma compounds and met the requirements of the EU regulation for hydrogen cyanide content. The obtained results indicate that the tested apple cultivars can be used for the efficient production of apple spirits, providing producers with an opportunity for brand development.

Keywords: apple cultivars; brandy; distillation; fermentation; spirit; volatile compounds.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Acidity and hydrocyanic acid content in the distillates from the raw pulp of different apple cultivars. Different letters indicate significant differences (p < 0.05) between mean values of acidity (lowercase letters, a–b) and hydrocyanic acid (capital letters, A–B), as analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc test.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effect of the pretreatment method of apple pulp on the acidity and hydrocyanic acid content in the distillates obtained. Different letters (separately for each cultivar) indicate significant differences (p < 0.05) between mean values of acidity (lowercase letters, a–c) and hydrocyanic acid (capital letters, A–C), as analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc test.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Albrecht W. Die Obstbrennerei in Deutschland und ihre Produkte. Alk. Ind. 1998;111:4–21.
    1. Satora P., Tuszyński T. Chemical characteristics of Śliwowica Łącka and other plum brandies. J. Sci. Food Agric. 2008;88:167–174. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.3067. - DOI
    1. Balcerek M., Pielech-Przybylska K., Patelski P., Sapińska E., Księżopolska M. The usefulness of intermediate products of plum processing for alcoholic fermentation and chemical composition of the obtained distillates. Food Sci. 2013;78:770–776. doi: 10.1111/1750-3841.12097. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Żurawicz E., Kubik J., Lewandowski M., Rutkowski K.P., Zmarlicki K. The apple industry in Poland. Acta Hortic. 2019;1261:13–20. doi: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2019.1261.3. - DOI
    1. Pietrzak M., Chlebicka A., Kraciński P., Malak-Rawlikowska A. Information asymmetry as a barrier in upgrading the position of local producers in the global value chain—Evidence from the apple sector in Poland. Sustainability. 2020;12:7857. doi: 10.3390/su12197857. - DOI

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.

LinkOut - more resources