December 2021 - 22

Cider production woes eased with nutrients for yeast
By Lauren Paterson
Washington State University
Washington State University (WSU)
researchers are working to develop a
nutrient formula for yeast that could
make fermentation easier and more
predictable for cider-makers.
" Cider apples don't have as many
nutrients for yeast, unlike grapes, " said
Claire Warren, a microbiologist for
WSU's School of Food Science. " I want
to make a nutrient base for yeast used
with cider apples so fermentation can be
more predictable batch to batch and year
to year. "
The role of yeast in cider-making
is what distinguishes hard cider from
apple juice. To make hard cider, yeast
converts the sugars from cider apples
into alcohol. That's fermentation.
Commercial nutrient formulations are
available through a variety of retailers
to winemakers, beer brewers, and cider
makers looking to assist the process of
fermentation. Nutrient formulations
contain a combination of amino acids,
ammonium salts, vitamins and minerals,
giving the yeast a nutritional boost to
avoid fermentation problems.
WSU professor and food scientist
Charles Edwards said while much is
already known about the way yeast
interacts with grape musts, apples are
radically different.
" Apple cider production is really about
blending different apple varieties together
to get the type of flavor and characteristics
that consumers want, " Edwards said.
" What we don't know, where we're
Claire Warren monitors Saccharomyces yeast. Photo: Washington State University
struggling, is there isn't any analytical
information about what's in cider apples,
from a yeast nutrition point of view. That's
the basis of our research, to figure out
what's there, and figure out how we can
improve production. "
The bitter, dry flavor of cider varieties
doesn't make for delicious fruit, but it
is ideal for what is also known as " hard
cider. "
" No matter what kind of yeast you use,
fermentation should go off like a rocket, "
said Rick Hastings, owner of Liberty
Cider in Spokane, Washington. " We
used commercial yeast when we started,
but there were too many variables to
decide which type would go best with
which apple. We're now using a wild
yeast originating on the apples we use, "
he said.
His cidery produces 15,000 liters of
hard cider every year.
So far, Hastings has had a lot of
success with wild yeast, but he still sees a
need to stabilize input conditions.
" Varying nutrient levels associated
with orcharding practices, specific trees,
or rootstocks can make fermentation
tricky, " he said. " We don't know until
fermentation begins how it'll go, whether
we'll need to add nutrients or wish there
weren't already so much in the juice. "
Warren is currently spending her days
in the lab working to understand yeast
nutritional needs for cider fermentation.
Ideally, cider producers would then have
another tool in their toolbox to limit
problems during fermentation.
" I want to understand the nutrient
profile of cider apples so I can tailor the
nutrient requirements based on what we
find, " she said.
Research for this project is funded by
the Washington State Cider Research
Program, along with assistance from
Montréal-based Lallemand Inc., a major
supplier of fermentation products.
Results of the ongoing study were
scheduled to be released in the fall of
2021. FGN
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December 2021

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