Fruit Crops: A Summary of Research 1998

Research Circular 299-99

Summary of Ohio Fruit Growers Society Apple Cider Competition, 1993-1997

Winston Bash and Diane Miller

Introduction

Cider, the fresh juice extracted from chopped, pressed apples, is an important product of the Ohio fruit industry. Of the three million bushels of apples grown annually in Ohio, up to 40% (1.2 million bushels) are used in cider production with a retail value estimated at $15 million (5). Additionally, apples from out-of-state are imported annually to Ohio for cider production, estimated at $10 million retail (5). Cider therefore ranks second economically in Ohio among fruit commodities, at roughly $25 million, behind fresh apples (estimated $30 million) (5). Ohio had 139 cider production facilities in 1996 (R. Stewart, Ohio Department of Agriculture, personal communication); most, but not all, were associated with orchards.

The Ohio apple industry is geared entirely toward apple cultivars for fresh marketing, and cider-making quality is not generally considered in the cultivar-selection process. With the many cultivars grown in Ohio, the potential exists for blends of cultivars used in cider to vary greatly. A few cultivars, however, predominate in volume. 'Delicious,' 'Golden Delicious,' 'Jonathan,' and 'Rome' account for 56% of the apple trees in Ohio (6); therefore, these cultivars would be expected to be prominent in cider blends.

While the production steps in cider facilities are well defined and inspected by the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the selection and blending of cultivars is at the discretion of the cider maker. This results in considerable variability in taste and chemical characteristics of the ciders produced in Ohio. These cultivar/ blend differences are further compounded by maturity of the apple fruits, so that even the exact same blend, made at intervals over several weeks, tastes different. The skill of the cider maker, in utilizing knowledge of the apple fruits, their maturity, and their blending, therefore greatly influences the quality of the cider.

Since 1990 the Ohio Fruit Growers Society (OFGS) has sponsored an annual cider contest, judged at the winter meetings of the association. The purpose of the contest has been to promote cider consumption (which has tripled since the mid-1980s), to attract media attention to the cider industry, and to promote improvement of cider quality among Ohio producers. The purpose of this article is to summarize characteristics of winning ciders.

Materials and Methods

The cider contest is open to all Ohio cider producers. The contest is held during the Ohio Fruit Growers Society winter meetings, normally the first week of February. Announcement of the contest is made in the December issue of Today's Grower, the publication of the OFGS and the Ohio Vegetable and Potato Growers Association. For each cider entered, the producer must include detailed information on production equipment, methods, sanitation, and cultivar blend (Table 1) and must deliver one-half gallon of thawed or fresh cider in a plastic container (along with a $10 entry fee) to the OFGS Congress registration personnel. Beginning in 1996, cider producers also were required to provide inspection certification from the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Ciders are refrigerated at 4ºC; all labeling is concealed; and ciders are given entry numbers.

Ciders are evaluated by five judges – one to two food technologists from the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, one to two media representatives, and one to two industry representatives. At the time of judging, ciders are displayed side by side on tables. A single score sheet is used for each cider (Figure 1). All entries are evaluated one category at a time, i.e., all are evaluated for color, then all are evaluated for flavor, then all are evaluated for defects. The judging is done by committee with each person having input and then consensus is reached on a score in each category. After judging is completed, a total score for each cider is compiled, and top-scoring ciders are selected. The superior cider group is again evaluated by the judges and ranked. First- through fifth-place winners are awarded plaques and honored at the annual OFGS banquet.

Figure 1. Judges scoring sheet used for Ohio Fruit Growers Society Cider Contest, 1993-1997.

Grower entry information, focusing on comparing winning entries with other entries, for five years (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997) has been collected, evaluated, and information presented.

Chemical analysis of ciders was conducted in 1995. Samples of entries were analyzed for pH, soluble solids (SS), and titratable acidity (TA) in the Crop Quality Evaluation Laboratory at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center immediately after the OFGS Congress. The pH was determined using a standard pH probe inserted into each agitating sample. Soluble solids were determined using a brix hydrometer at 20ºC (3). Total acidity was determined by direct titration with a standardized sodium hydoxide solution to a phenolphthalein endpoint (3). Brix-to-acid ratio was then calculated (SS/TA).

Results and Discussion

The number of entries in the OFGS cider contest has declined over the last five years from 37 in 1993 to 26 in 1997 (Figure 2). This downward trend may reflect "dropping out" by producers whose ciders have not been successful. Judges comments and cider scores (data not presented) indicate that the overall quality of ciders entered has improved over the years.

Figure 2. Number of entries, Ohio Fruit Growers Society Cider Contest, 1993-1997.

The total number of different cultivars used in cider entries over the years 1993-97 ranged from 18 to 25 with no apparent upward or downward trend (Table 2). Over these years, use of 32 different cultivars has been reported: 'Blushing Gold,' 'Braeburn,' 'Cortland,' 'Criterion,' 'Delicious,' 'Elstar,' 'Empire,' 'Firm Gold,' 'Franklin,' 'Fuji,' 'Gala,' 'Grimes Golden,' 'Golden Delicious,' 'Gold Rush,' 'Granny Smith,' 'Holiday,' 'Honey Gold,' 'Ida Red,' 'Jonagold,' 'Jonalicious,' 'Jonathan,' 'King David,' 'Lodi,' 'McIntosh,' 'Melrose,' 'Mutsu,' 'Northern Spy,' 'Paula Red,' 'Rome,' 'Ruby,' 'Spigold,' and 'Stayman Winesap.' The number of different cultivars used in the top five rated blends has ranged from three to eight with from four to six different cultivars used in the top-rated cider (Table 2).

Ohio grows many different cultivars, and this is reflected in the number of different cultivars used in cider blends. The message is inherent that producers think blending is necessary for high-quality cider; single- or two-cultivar ciders have not been entered. It is interesting that no cider maker has repeatedly entered, year after year, the same blend. Perhaps similar to wine-making, cider making is an art where the growing season impacts the attributes of the cultivars selected for the blending. Cultivar strain has been reported to impart variation in sugar/acid ratios of 'Delicious,' 'Golden Delicious,' 'Jonathan,' and 'Winesap' (2).

Despite the large number of different cultivars used, 'Golden Delicious' and 'Delicious' were the cultivars used most commonly among cider blends (Figure 3). 'Jonathan,' 'Melrose,' 'McIntosh,' and 'Stayman Winesap' have also been used frequently in blends, with an increasing trend toward the use of 'Jonagold.' This reflected the apple trees in production in Ohio: 'Delicious' (25%), 'Golden Delicious' (16%), 'Jonathan' (8%), 'Law Rome' (7%), 'McIntosh' (5%), and others (39%) (6). It also compares with Ohio orchards reporting by cultivar: 'Delicious' (96%), 'Golden Delicious' (94%), 'Jonathan' (81%), 'Stayman Winesap' (66%), 'Rome' (64%), 'Cortland' (55%), 'Lodi' (55%), and 'Melrose' (48%) (6).

Figure 3. Most commonly used cultivars in cider blends, all entries, Ohio Fruit Growers Society Cider Contest, 1993-1997.

'Golden Delicious' and 'Delicious' have been the most commonly used cultivars in the top five cider blends during 1993-97 (Figure 4). 'Jonathan,' 'McIntosh,' and 'Melrose' have also been used commonly in winning cider blends. 'Golden Delicious' has been used in the top cider blend every year except 1995. 'Delicious' has been used in the top cider blend every year except 1997.

Figure 3. Most commonly used cultivars in cider blends, top five ciders, Ohio Fruit Growers Society Cider Contest, 1993-1997.

The authors interpret the common use of some cultivars to mean that they form a medium-acid, high-sugar "basic blend" for a good cider, not that the commonly used cultivars result in good cider individually or collectively. The authors believe the "other" cultivars used less frequently or less abundantly in a blend result in the high acid or aromatic or astringent traits which give distinctive flavors to a cider. The ability to combine cultivars to achieve a sugar/acid balance with unique flavor components separates winning cider producers from those producing acceptable ciders.

The authors respect the expertise and experience of the cider producers who have entered the OFGS contest over the years and are not at liberty to reveal winning recipes by year. The authors do, however, feel it is important to give readers a randomly selected "sampling" of the top five blends:

• 'Delicious' 20%, 'Ida Red' 30%, 'Jonathan' 20%, 'Northern Spy' 20%, and 'McIntosh' 10%.
• 'Delicious' 40%, 'Golden Delicious' 40%, 'Gala' 10%, and 'Cortland' 10%.
• 'Golden Delicious' 30%, 'Melrose' 30%, 'Jonagold' 30%, and 'Granny Smith' 10%.
• 'Delicious' 35%, 'Golden Delicious' 35%, 'Jonathan' 27%, 'Winesap' 1%, 'Rome' 1%, and 'Grimes Golden' 1%.
• 'Delicious' 50%, 'Fuji' 30%, and 'Golden Delicious' 20%.

The simplest blends among the top five ciders over the period 1993-97 have combined three cultivars:

• 'Gala,' 'Delicious,' and 'Granny Smith.'
• 'Delicious,' 'Golden Delicious,' and 'Fuji.'
• 'Criterion,' 'Delicious,' and 'Golden Delicious.'

The highest percentages of one cultivar used among the top five each year (1993-97) were:

• 50% 'Delicious' (plus other cultivars to total 100%).
• 75% 'Gala' (plus other...).
• 50% 'McIntosh' (plus other...).
• 50% 'Criterion' (plus other...).
• 50% 'Golden Delicious' (plus other...).

The score sheet used for this competition places a premium on cider flavor (60 points out of 100 total), and this is where tasting and discussion among judges separates the entries. Fresh, sweet apple flavor and balance of sugars and acids are desirable traits. Samples are tasted repeatedly, but not chemically analyzed, during the judging. Color (20 points possible) evaluation includes assessing cloudiness and caramel-brown hue. In recent years, lighter golden ciders have been preferred by the judges. Evaluation for defects (20 points possible) assesses chunkiness, haziness, off-flavors due to rot or over-ripeness of fruit, or other imperfections peculiar to an entry.

To determine if there were chemical characteristics that could easily separate the top five ciders as compared with all entries, chemical analyses were conducted in 1995 (Table 2) after the competition was completed. These chemical analyses show no obvious keys to success. Winning ciders had a pH range of 3.4 - 3.7, titratable acidities of 0.33 - 0.47%, soluble solids of 11.9 - 14.2%, and brix to acid ratios of 27.6 - 39.4. These values fell within the middle of the range of all cider entries. The average values for all entries were nearly identical to the averages of the winning ciders.

Preference or acceptability has been associated with the ratio of the soluble solids to the total acid content (SS/TA) of an apple juice (1). Desirable brix/acid ratios may vary depending upon local populations (7). A brix/acid ratio of 35 has been reported as most desirable in New York state (4). No consumer preference studies with cider have been conducted in Ohio, but it is interesting that the brix/acid ratio for all entries averaged 33.2 and that winning ciders averaged 33.9 (Table 3).

Winning ciders from 1993-97 were made during October, November, December, January, and early February, showing no trends in month produced and showing no ill effect of freezing and thawing on cider acceptability. Producers used rack and cloth cider presses in the vast majority of entries and winners. Fruit of almost all entries was picked (not drops; most pronounced during 1996 and 1997), refrigerated, and graded. A small number of entries used apples from controlled-atmosphere storages. Almost all ciders were filtered although no information was collected on type or quality of filtering. No pressing aids, settling aids, or enzymes were used in cider production. Very few winning ciders used preservatives (20% of the winners from 1995-97; an occasional other). None of the ciders entered in 1993-97 was pasteurized.