Influence of the method of obtaining freeze-enriched juices and year of harvest on the chemical and sensory characteristics of Asturian ice ciders

Ice cider is a special product made from apple juices enriched by freezing. In this paper, the method of obtaining the ice juices (cryo-extraction and exhaustion) and the year of harvest have been evaluated. For this purpose, a controlled raw apple mixture and an autochthonous Saccharomyces bayanus strain were used throughout the study. Both the enrichment system and the year of harvest significantly influenced the levels of total phenols, sucrose, malic acid, ethyl acetate and 2-phenylethanol. The ciders made by cryo-extraction presented the higher sugar/acidity and sugar/polyphenol ratios. These ciders were more fruity, less astringent and scored better for quality than those obtained by exhaustion. Additionally, a preliminary assay of juice enrichment by cryo-concentration is described. The corresponding ciders presented higher methanol and lower 2-phenylethanol contents than those obtained by the cryo-extraction and exhaustion methods.