Countries such as the United Kingdom, France, and Spain have long-standing traditions of hard cider production and have developed and cultivated many varieties specifically for this purpose. As of 2017, the global hard cider industry is estimated to be worth more than $10.6 billion and is forecasted to grow over 52% by 2023 (Statista, 2017). Among them, the alcoholic product of fermented, unfiltered apple juice (termed “hard” cider) has experienced growth over the past decade. Beyond fresh fruit, apples are also consumed in various processed food and beverage forms. In 2019, global apple production reached 87.2 million tons, up 21.8% since 2009 (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2021). Ultimately, this work provides information regarding the variability in apple biochemical traits and also suggests a unique opportunity for producers to market “vintage” quality.Īpples are among the most popular fruits with consumers due to their variety of flavors, health properties, and storability.We also compared the classification of a subset of varieties from two US germplasm resources across two seasons and found varieties that have high percent phenolics and/or malic acid experienced greater biochemical plasticity and potential classification change across vintages. The biochemical traits of many varieties exhibited plasticity, and the characterization of a subset of varieties using two cider classification system revealed that most belonged to the “sweet” or “sharp” (acidic) categories rather than “bitter” (high phenolic content).We analyzed the variation in cider quality traits across 47 published works and more than 800 unique apple varieties, including an additional analysis of 142 varieties from cider apple germplasms in the United States.

In this study, we evaluated variation of four major apple biochemical traits (total soluble solids, pH, titratable acidity, and total phenolics) as they relate to use for hard cider production by using a meta-analysis approach.However, in North America, culinary apples (lower acidity and phenolics) are predominantly used, and information distinguishing the varieties with novel use for hard cider production is lacking. Traditional hard cider producing regions such as England, France, and Spain have historically utilized cider-specific apples that have desirable balances between sugar, organic acid, and phenolics. The North American fermented beverage market has undergone extensive growth in the fermented apple juice (hard cider) sector over the last decade.

Apple fruitjuice