Ciders Produced by Two Types of Presses and Fermented in Stainless Steel and Wooden Vats

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of two factors - pressing (with either a traditional or a pneumatic press) and vat material (stainless steel and chestnut wood) - on the global parameters and volatile and acidic compounds of ciders throughout their fermentation in relation to micro-organism levels. A complete factorial design with two factors was applied and the samples were taken at five stages of cider fermentation. In each stage, 21 parameters were measured by standard methods, HPLC, GC, and enzymatic and microbiological techniques. Analysis of variance investigated the effect of pressing, vat types and replication of the measures on analytical and microbiological composition of the ciders. The results obtained for the different parameters indicated that the pneumatically pressed cider, fermented in a stainless steel vat, developed alcoholic and malolactic fermentations more slowly, and the decrease in phenolic compounds was also slower than it was for the traditionally pressed cider fermented in a wooden barrel. These differences influenced the composition of the cider.