VINEGAR- MAKING FROM APPLES.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XVIII, Issue 4, 21 April 1919, Page 218

VINEGAR- MAKING FROM APPLES.

A SIMPLE METHOD FOR ORCHARDISTS.

By

S. F. ANDERSON,

Vine and Wine Instructor.

In making vinegar-from any of the fruit-juices it is necessary (unless the product .is strictly for home consumption only) to conform to the regulations under the Sale of Food and Drugs Act, 1908, No. 24 (1) of which states, Vinegar shall be the liquid produced by'fermentation and acetification of any of the substances mentioned in clause (2) of this regulation (including apples). It shall contain not less than 4 grammes of acetic acid in 100 cubic centimetres; , it shall not contain any sulphuric or other mineral acids, lead, or copper ; nor shall it contain any added substance or colouring-matter except caramel.” The specific gravity of a vinegar containing 5 per cent, of acetic acid should be about' 1-019, the range being 1-017 to 1-021 : that is, the finished article ready'for putting on the market should register

about this density

THE CIDER STAGE.

The first stage is-making a cider, for which the following plant is required, installed in a suitable shed with water-supply, &c. : (1) Crusher (2) a press for extracting the juice, or, as it is generally called, the must; (3) casks, tubs, wooden buckets, funnel,. indiarubber tubing, taps,. &c. ; (4) hydrometer for testing the amount of sugar in the must; -

Full. directions for cider-making were given in an article published in the journal for February, 1918, to which those requiring the information are referred.

.. The better the- cider the higher quality will be the vinegar. .There-: fore the riper the apples and the more natural sugar they contain the. more alcohol is developed. After crushing an average sample, of the. apples to be used, straining the juice,‘and testing it with the, hydrometer, the result should show a specific gravity of 1-057. This is equal to 14 per cent, of sugar. If it is below this, sugar should be added, but well-ripened apples will exceed the figure quoted. ’

The juice or must is now placed into casks to ferment. As -this operation cannot be done until autumn, about April or May, the temperature will then have dropped considerably, and some means are required to prevent- it going below 60 0 F. .Fermentation soon commences, and lasts three or four days. When that is quite over we have a cider containing about 7 per cent.-of absolute alcohol by weight.

MAKING THE VINEGAR.

Vinegar is made from this cider by the transformation of the alcohol by acetic fermentation. This is brought about by the vinegar bacteria, in . a temperature higher than that required for making the cider namely, between 70° and 85°. '

Probably the best method to be' followed by the small grower will be what is known as the “slow.” process. This is carried out in a

barrel prepared as shown on the opposite page. After the cider is made it is put into this barrel to acetify. The current of air passing, through the holes at the ends, and the- high temperature, cause the oxidation of the liquid. Where the conditions are such that a high temperature cannot be maintained, as in a room or ordinary building, the cask can be placed on the sunny side of a building and protected from cold winds, but the process will be slower. A few quarts of vinegar will supply the vinegar bacteria and start the acetic fermentation. It is then a matter of time to turn the whole into

vinegar.

The quantity to be made at any one time will depend on the size of cask used.. A quarter-cask holds about 36 gallons, and prepared in the way shown in the drawing it would probably make only 20 gallons. . A wine-hogshead holds about 63 gallons and would do for making about 40 gallons. Neither the cider nor the vinegar should be allowed to come into contact with iron or iron vessels, as the acids set up dangerous salts. Iron hoops of casks and wooden buckets should be well painted to protect them.

After the acetic fermentation is complete, and the liquid has settled clear, it can be filtered before being put in other suitable-sized casks, to be finally cleared. It is better for being kept a year. If not quite clear for bottling at the end of that time it may be fined with isinglass,, whites of eggs, or Spanish clay. Half an ounce of isinglass, or the whites of six eggs, or about 2 lb. of Spanish clay, is sufficient for 50 gallons. Isinglass is the best for the purpose.. It should be broken up into small pieces and soaked in half 'a gallon of the vinegar till it is

swollen and soft. Warming the mixture will aid in dissolving it. It should be put through a fine sieve to thoroughly break it up and reduce it to a very smooth solution before it is used. The whites of eggs or Spanish clay, if used, are treated in a similar way. The filter may be a cone-shaped bag made of some sort of cloth, cricketing-flannel being the best material. The mouth of the bag is sewn round a small hoop to keep it distended, and the filter is suspended from the ceiling at a convenient height for putting the liquid through. Quite a good article can be made in limited quantities by the method described. For vinegar-manufacture on a large scale special plant is required. .