Apple juice is a very popular beverage. Next to orange juice, it is a morning staple for many people. It is fresh, delicious, and it can give you an extra boost of energy to start your day off with.
Apples are already very healthy, and their high acidity can give you a wake-up boost in the morning, one that does not make you rise and fall as coffee does.
But, apple juice gets that energy to you faster, and makes you feel rejuvenated in the mornings when you just are not ‘feeling it’.
But, how is it made? Well, as you can imagine, it is made with apples, but it’s more than simply juicing an apple like you would at home. How so? Let’s talk about it.
What We Know About Apple Juice Production
Apple juice is the most popular juice out there. Apple juice does seem to be so simple, like orange juice, just squeeze the fruit, and juice is made.
Right? Well, if you’re only making a small amount then sure!
However, it is not realistic if you are a mass producer who needs to get tonnes of apple juice shipped off to superstores!
By using enzymes the leading producers of apple juice can improve the clarity, yield, and sweetness of the final juice.
Enzymes help apple juice production increase, and they can also help quality.
While not every mass producer of apple juice does use this technique, many do, and the reason for it is simply to help the business output and quality stay level.
Steps To Making Apple Juice
Many steps go into making apple juice. Of course, the steps taken to make apple juice will differ for those who make it at home and mass producers.
For now, we will focus on the mass production process.
Inspection
It all begins with a visual inspection, checking the apples, and making sure none have insect infestations or any mold.
Washing
Next up is washing. The apples in mass production have to be water-washed for 45 minutes. This is to remove any surface dirt or pesticides.
Physical scrubbing is often included as well, and it can reduce wash time.
Mashing
Apples will then get macerated by a mill or a grinder. They go from the washer into the grinder, followed by the apple mill/ hammer mill, and are turned into an apple mash.
The enzymes that are used in apple juice are usually pectinases.
This is a blend of methylesterase and endo-polygalacturonase. It can increase the yield of juice as the apples are macerated.
Enzymes can reduce viscosity and stickiness without impacting how pressable the apples are.
Some of these blends can even include cellulase and hemicellulase, and they can break down the cell walls and improve the production of apple juice by as much as 5%.
Pressing
The mashing process moves the mashed-up apples into a hydraulic press, which then extracts the juice from the mash.
A typical yield of this will be around 60 to 70 percent. Note that as the apple ages, it will produce less juice and become softer and stickier.
This is just how ripening works, and therefore it is best to always try and choose the youngest apples you can for the best yield.
Together the pulp residue and the water will be combined and pressed again to increase the level of sweetness. Sweetness is measured via Brix and can go from 12 to 12.3.
Filtering
The apple juice will then go into a holding tank for sedimentation removal.
For some producers, sometimes the enzymes will be added in at this stage if they are not added during the mashing stage.
If a producer adds them at this stage, then it is likely to prevent clogging of the filter, an improvement in clarity, or an increase in the rate of filtration.
Making Apple Juice Yourself
For those who want to make apple juice at home, the obvious way to do so would be by using a juicer, in which you can just chuck pieces of apple in and get juice as a result.
However, not everyone has a juicer or can afford a juicer. So, for others, making it on a stove is a great way to do this. Let’s give you a quick look into how!
Making It On The Stove
Making apple juice on the stove you need apples, water, and honey or sugar to add extra sweetness.
Begin, like in mass production, by washing the apples.
You should either choose organic apples which do not need a lot of washing, or apples that have not seen pesticide usage to prevent having to wash them extensively or peel them.
Next, cut up your apples into slices, use a cutting board and knife, and slice your apple up.
You could use an apple segmenter too. Note, you needn’t remove the peels, cores, or seeds as you strain this out anyway.
Add the apples to a pot and cover them with 2 inches of water. Be sure not to put too much water in, or you could dilute the juice.
Cover the pot and allow it to simmer for up to 25 minutes, stir to ensure consistency.
Place a fine mesh strainer over a pitcher or bowl to filter the juice.
Pour the juice through the strainer, then leave to cool and taste, add sugar or honey in if you wish to sweeten.
Overall
Apple juice is easy to make, and while it is most apples, it is also made with a lot of water.
Be aware that there are additional things in apple juice when pre-made, enzymes, and so on will be introduced, and there are extra sugars.
However, we urge you to try and make your own at home, it is delicious, and you can control how much sugar is in it too!
Hello, my name is Valentina and I am the founder or ‘grower’ as I like to call myself of BonitaFruitTrees.com.
Cultivating my own fruit trees is definitely my passion, and has been for such a long time.
That’s what made me want to make this website. I wanted to create a place where I could share my experiences with others, teach more people how to grow fruit trees, and just help them have a little fun with it.
