want value for their money and 

 that sweet (ider will maintain 

 the refrigerator. 



it is reasonable for them to expect 

 its quality for at least a week in 



Poor keeping quality appears to be most prevalent in late 

 winter and spring, when cider is pressed less frequently. Apparent- 

 ly some growers store their cider under refrigeration for 2 weeks 

 or longer and when the cider is displayed for sale and/or purchased 

 by the customer, it has lost most of its potential keeping quality. 



Kirby Hayes, Department of Food Science and Technology, had 

 the following pertinent comments about cider quality in the Septem- 

 ber-October, 1971, issue of Fruit Notes . 



"Consumers are becoming more critical of everything they buy 

 --not only from a price aspect, but from a quality point of view. 

 With living costs continually rising, consumers want value for 

 their money. Quality in food refers to taste, appearance, color, 

 cost per serving, and keeping quality. 



Cider is not a necessary food item in most budgets. Cider is 



basically a beverage to be enjoyed, and if the quality is low or 



the keeping quality poor, repeat purchases can easily be elimin- 

 inated. 



Have you examined your cider critically as a consumer would? 

 Take a half gallon and subject it to the conditions that the buyer 

 does. Taste a glassful--is it musty? chlorine off-flavor? taste 

 like dirty press cloths? insipid? Do this until the container is 

 empty. Did it start to ferment? Did the last glass look and taste 

 like the first? Or, go out and buy from several other stands, have 

 your wife pour samples including yours in unmarked glasses--now 

 taste and judge. If you pick your own as best, now try to main- 

 tain the year's run that way or even improve. If yours comes out 

 second or third best, what is wrong? Remember, quality is a silent 

 salesman ! 



The keeping quality of cider is directly related to the sani- 

 tation practices observed during the operating season. Unsanitary 

 practices foster the growth of microorganisms, which cause fermen- 

 tation or produce undesirable flavors in the final product. 



ing 



After a day's run, 

 the cider plant: 



observe the following procedures in clean- 



Dismantle the press for cleaning. Rinse it thoroughly with 

 a hose to remove surface dirt. Scrub all parts of the press thor- 

 oughly, using a sanitizing or detergent-sanitizing solution. 

 Where possible, use hot water for both the rinsing and the scrub- 

 bing operations. 



Sanitizing compounds may be of the chlorine or quaternary am- 

 monium types. Dairy-cleaning compounds are usually of these types, 

 and they are easily obtained. Directions given by the manufacturer 



