Best Practices for the Production of Sweet Apple Cider - Apple Management

The production of safe, high-quality sweet apple cider starts with sound apple management. Be aware of the contaminants that can find their way into your product and where they come from. Follow practices outlined below to grow safer, higher quality apples and produce safe sweet apple cider.

Contaminants

Poor apple management can increase the chance that human pathogens such as Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella and Cryptosporidium will contaminate your apples and therefore the apple cider you produce from these apples. These micro-organisms can cause serious illness, especially in the young, the elderly or those with weakened immune systems.

Neither the acid content of the cider nor freezing can eliminate these organisms. Pathogens are much too small to be seen, so even if apples look clean, they can still be carrying pathogens.

Contaminants can be introduced to apples through:

• Contact with fecal waste from animals and birds
• The orchard ground (both from the soil and fecal matter)
• Contaminated water
• Contaminated containers and equipment
• Unsanitary handling practices

Another contaminant of concern in sweet apple cider is patulin, a toxic chemical produced by a number of moulds such as Penicillium and Aspergillus. Patulin may be found on bruised, damaged, mouldy or rotting apples. This toxin can induce acute illness and is suspected to be lethal in young children at high concentrations.

Fallen apples and improperly stored apples are particularly susceptible to patulin contamination. Since patulin is not destroyed by pasteurization, it can be found in both pasteurized and unpasteurized cider products.

Good Apple Management Practices

Orchard Management

• Do not use manure in orchards
• Never allow animals to graze in orchards
• Use fencing to keep domestic and wild animals out of orchards
• Avoid applying manure as fertilizer in orchards; never fertilize with fresh manure; use only adequately composted manure
• To adequately compost manure, carefully manage and monitor the process to ensure that material is uniformly heated to at least 55°C for three days, the length of time necessary to kill human pathogens
• Use bird scaring devices to prevent birds from roosting in trees
• Use water of acceptable microbiological quality (preferably potable) to irrigate orchards and for pesticide application

Harvesting Practices

• Never use fallen apples; apples that have dropped to the orchard floor (grounders) should never be used in cider production and should be discarded. This includes apples that have fallen to the ground and apples that remain attached to lower branches but have been in contact with the ground
• Use only quality apples; reject apples with visible dirt, animal or bird excrement, bruising, damage, mould or disease
• Clean, sanitize and dry containers (plastic or wood bins/totes, baskets) before each use; remember to clean runners on the bottom of bins
• To prevent bruising, carefully place apples in clean containers
• Maintain and inspect containers regularly - discard containers that are damaged
• Ensure good hygiene practices are followed, particularly handwashing prior to, and during, apple handling

Transportation Practices

• Use vehicles and bins that are in good condition and made from cleanable materials
• Clean and sanitize vehicles and bins prior to loading
• Move loaded bins to covered storage as soon as possible after harvest
• Store empty bins in a clean area, free from pests
• Handle containers carefully to avoid physical damage to the apples
• Use closed or covered vehicles for road transportation of apples

Fruit Storage Practices

• Clean and sanitize storage facilities before harvest
• Prevent the entrance of pests and rodents to storage facilities
• Place fruit in storage facility immediately after harvest
• Maintain storage facility at a temperature between 0 and 4°C
• Keep a refrigerated storage temperature record
• Press apples as soon as possible; stored apples increase in pH over time, which favours the growth of disease-causing organisms

For more information:

Cider Producer's Workbook, available on the OMAFRA website at
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/food/inspection/juice/cider_workbook_text_only.htm

CODEX/WHO Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of Patulin Contamination in Apple Juice and Apple Juice Ingredients in Other Beverages, available on the CODEX web site at
http://www.codexalimentarius.net/download/standards/405/CXC_050e.pdf

John Henderson, Risk Management Specialist
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
95 Dundas Street, RR#3
Brighton, Ontario, K0K 1H0
john.henderson@ontario.ca
tel: (613) 475-5175
fax: (613) 475-3835

OMAFRA Horticulture Crops Specialists
tel: 1-877-424-1300

Factsheets:

Agricultural Composting Basics (Order No. 05-023)

Manure Composting as a Pathogen Reduction Strategy (Order No. 05-021)

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