Production of spirits from dry apple pomace and selected yeasts

• A novel procedure to elaborate apple pomace spirits has been developed.
• The use of dry apple pomace allowed seasonality to be circumvented in the production of spirits.
• Enzymes with pectin methylesterase activity can lead to unacceptable levels of methanol.
• Selected yeasts allow the obtaining of spirits with marked differences in composition.

Apple pomace spirits were made from dry pomace and selected yeasts strains. Two strains of indigenous cider yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Hanseniaspora uvarum) as well as a commercial enzyme combined with a wine dry yeast were tested. The differences between distillates were studied by means of chemical and sensory analysis. According to the results of this study, treatment with enzymes with pectin methylesterase activity led to excessive levels of distilled methanol, and hence it use is not advisable. In contrast, the indigenous yeasts produced lower concentrations of methanol. Moreover, using different yeast species allows the production of spirits with important differences in their aromatic composition, which is certainly interesting from a commercial point of view. Furthermore, the results showed that drying the apple pomace allows it to be preserved in good condition, thus solving the problem of the seasonality of the raw material for making apple pomace distillates.