Brown Snout’ Specialty Cider Apple U.S
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most popular alcoholic beverage made Yield, Labor, and Fruit and Juice Quality andconsumedintheUnitedStates; Characteristics of Machine and Hand-harvested however, by the early 1900s, cider had essentially disappeared from ‘Brown Snout’ Specialty Cider Apple U.S. markets (Proulx and Nichols, 1997). The rapid decline of cider 1 was due to a combination of factors, Carol A. Miles and Jaqueline King primarily a high influx of German and eastern European immigrants who ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS. fruit storage, hard cider, harvest labor, Malus ·domestica, preferred beer, and many farmers mechanical fruit harvest, over-the-row harvester who were sympathetic to the Tem- perance Movement cut down their SUMMARY. In this 2-year study of ‘Brown Snout’ specialty cider apple apple trees (Watson, 1999). (Malus ·domestica) grafted onto Malling 27 (M.27) and East Malling/Long Ashton Cider is currently seeing a revival 9, we compared weight of total harvested fruit, labor hours for harvest, tree and fruit damage, and fruit and juice quality characteristics for machine and hand harvest. in the United States and although it Machine harvest was with an over-the-row small fruit harvester. There were no only accounts for 1% of the alcoholic significant differences due to rootstock; however, there were differences between beverage market, it is the fastest years for most measurements. Weight of harvested fruit did not differ because of growing alcohol market segment, harvest method; however, harvest efficiency was 68% to 72% for machine pick and with 54% increase in production each 85% to 89% for machine pick D clean-up weight (fruit left on trees and fruit year from 2007 to 2012 (Morton, knocked to the ground during harvest) as compared with hand harvest. On average 2013; U.S. Department of Treasury, for the 2 years, hand harvest required 23 labor-hours per acre at a total cost of $417, 2013). In 2007, 0.8 million gallons of while machine harvest required 5 labor-hours per acre at a cost of $93. There were cider were produced in the United no differences due to harvest method on damage to spurs (four to eight spurs States; this increased nearly 7-fold to damaged per tree) or limbs (0.5–0.8 limbs damaged per tree). Although there were also no differences due to harvest method on fruit bruising (100% for both harvest 5.2 million gallons in 2012. The vol- methods in this study), 10% of fruit were sliced and 4% of fruit were cut in half ume of cider produced in Washington inadvertently with machine harvest, and none were sliced or cut with hand harvest. State grew by over 3-fold between Harvest method had no effect on fruit quality characteristics, specifically, soluble 2007 and 2012 (from 44,387 to solids concentration (SSC), pH, specific gravity, titratable acidity (malic acid 173,288 gal), a 37% growth rate per equivalents), or percent total tannin, when fruit was pressed immediately after year, and accounted for 6% of the total harvest or stored for 2, 3, or 4 weeks before pressing. Juice quality characteristics U.S. cider production in 2007 and 3% were affected by storage, and SSC increased 11% in 2011 (3 weeks storage), and 12% in 2012. The number of cideries in and 18% in 2012 (2 and 4 weeks storage, respectively). Similarly, specific gravity Washington increased 7-fold in this increased both years after storage, 1% in 2011, and 1% and 2% in 2012 (a 1% increase time period, from four cideries in in juice specific gravity corresponds to a potential 1.3% increase in alcohol by volume after fermentation for cider). Both years, juice pH tended to decline when fruit was 2008 to 29 in 2014 (Brown, 2014; stored (0.01 pH units in 2011, 0.06–0.12 pH units in 2012). Overall, cider apple Northwest Cider Association, 2014). harvest with an over-the-row small fruit machine harvester used four times less labor To meet the new demand for than hand harvest, yield reached 87% that of hand harvest (when clean-up yield was cider in the United States, there is included), and juice quality characteristics were not negatively affected. These increasing demand for apples to make results suggest that machine harvest may be suitable for cider apples if equipment is quality cider. Quality cider is tradi- available and affordable. tionally made from apple varieties that are classified as bittersweet (tannins > 0.2%, acids < 0.45%) or bittersharp ider, or ‘‘hard cider’’ as it is indicates the liquid from pressed ap- (tannins > 0.2%, acids > 0.45%) typically known in the United ples has been filtered to remove solids (Barker, 1903; Barker and Bur- CStates, is fermented apple juice (Khanizadeh et al., 2000; Trowbridge, roughs, 1953). Historically, growers with 0.5% to 7% alcohol by volume 1917). Hereafter, the term ‘‘juice’’ will both in Europe and the United States (U.S. Department of Treasury, 2001). be used to refer to nonfermented apple selected cider apple varieties for these Nonfermented, unfiltered apple juice juice, and the term ‘‘cider’’ will be used traits (Alwood, 1903; Barker, 1911; is referred to as ‘‘fresh cider’’ or ‘‘sweet to describe the fermented beverage. Barker and Burroughs, 1953; Buell, cider,’’ and the term ‘‘apple juice’’ Until the late 1800s, cider was the 1869; Trowbridge, 1917). Most Department of Horticulture, Washington State Uni- Units versity, 16650 State Route 536, Mount Vernon, WA 98273 To convert U.S. to SI, To convert SI to U.S., multiply by U.S. unit SI unit multiply by The funding support was provided by the Washington State Department of Agriculture and Washington 0.4047 acre(s) ha 2.4711 State University CSANR BIOAg Program. 29.5735 fl oz mL 0.0338 Technical support for this project provided by Jonathan 0.3048 ft m 3.2808 Roozen, Kyle Craig, and Karen Hasenoerhl is grate- 3.7854 gal L 0.2642 fully acknowledged. Recognition is also given to Gary 0.4536 lb kg 2.2046 Moulton who conceived and initiated this study by 1.1209 lb/acre kgÁha–1 0.8922 establishing the specialty cider orchard for mechanical 28.3495 oz g 0.0353 harvest in 2002. 6.8948 psi kPa 0.1450 1Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]. (°F – 32) O 1.8 °F °C(°C · 1.8) + 32 • October 2014 24(5) 519 RESEARCH REPORTS finished ciders usually contain several 1994; Schotzko and Granatstein, Materials and methods apple varieties that are blended to 2005; Washington State University ORCHARD PLANTING. The or- attain a final product that has desir- Extension, 2013). New specialty ci- chard for this study was established able levels of acidity, polyphenols, and der apple orchards in Washington in 2002 at Washington State Uni- the alcohol that results from fermen- include semidwarfing rootstocks and versity Northwestern Washington tation of naturally occurring sugar 700 trees/acre (Galinato et al., Research and Extension Center at (Khanizadeh et al., 2000; Lea, 2008; 2014). Cider fruit is harvested by Mount Vernon. The orchard site has Merwin et al., 2008; Pollard, 1953). hand, and hand harvest accounts for soil type Skagit silt loam, classified as Most cider makers in the United 46% of the total annual variable costs a fine-silty, mixed, nonacid, mesic States use cull fruit from fresh/des- when the orchard is in full production Typic Fluvaquent recently formed of sert apple orchards to form the cider (Galinato et al., 2014). Fruit size of alluvium and volcanic ash (USDA, base as this fruit tends to be more most cider apple varieties is smaller 2013). Specialty cider apple ‘Brown readily available and relatively in- than standard dessert apple varieties, Snout’ grafted on two rootstocks, expensive; they then augment this and it can take up to four times longer M.27 and EMLA9, was planted at with juice of specialty cider varieties to pick one bin of cider apples than a 16-ft between-row and 4-ft in-row if available (Merwin et al., 2008; bin of dessert apples (A. Zimmerman, spacing. Orchard planting density Moulton et al., 2010). In an informal personal communication). Cost of har- was 680 trees/acre. Between-row survey in 2012 and 2013, five prom- vest labor is a significant consideration spacing was wider than commonly inent cider makers in Washington and especially in areas without a large agri- used in commercial orchards to Oregon indicated they paid $0.10 to cultural labor force, where labor costs accommodate potential unknown $0.25 per pound for cull fruit of are high, or both. needs for mechanical harvest. Trees fresh/dessert apples and $0.15 to Washington is also the leading $0.75 per pound for specialty cider raspberry (Rubus idaeus) production were trained to a three-wire trellis apple varieties (S. Galinato, personal region in the United States, and with system with post height of 6.5 ft. communication). 9800 acres and 62.7 million pounds The lowest wire was 2 ft above the To meet market demand for of production, accounted for 89% of soil surface to accommodate the catch specialty cider apples, growers in the the U.S. acreage and 65% of produc- plate of the mechanical harvester. In United States require cost-effective tion in 2012 (USDA, 2014). Rasp- 2011, tree limbs were attached tightly orchard practices to be cost compet- berries destined for the processing to the trellis wires and were pruned to itive with other agricultural pro- market are harvested with machines maintain a narrow canopy, whereas in duction systems. In the United that are driven over the row. These 2012, limb attachment to the trellis Kingdom, which has a long history over-the-row small fruit harvesters wires was loosened and pruning was of cider production and is the world’s include vertically oriented spiked- adjusted to widen the canopy so that largest producer of cider as well as the drum shakers that rotate freely and the harvester shaker bars could more largest market, fruit is almost exclu- cause fruit to drop (Funt et al., 1998).