Impact of apple cultivar, ripening stage, fermentation type and yeast strain on phenolic composition of apple ciders

- Hydroxycinnamic acids and flavonoids studied in apple juices and ciders.
- Malolactic ciders differ from ciders and juices due to higher content of phloretin.
- Apple cultivar has significant impact on phenolic compositions of juices and ciders.
- Cider made from unripe apples generally contain more phenolics than ripe or overripe.
- Yeasts differ in the formation of free hydroxycinnamic acids during fermentation.

Hydroxycinnamic acids and flavonoids in apple juices and ciders were studied using liquid chromatography. Samples were produced from four different Estonian apple cultivars using unripe, ripe and overripe apples, and six different commercial yeasts including Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Saccharomyces bayanus, and Torulaspora delbrueckii strains. Part of the samples was additionally inoculated with malolactic bacteria, Oenococcus oeni. The most notable difference among the samples was the appearance of phloretin in malolactic ciders in comparison to conventional ciders and the juices. Furthermore, the apple cultivars were significantly different in their phenolic contents and compositions. Additionally, ciders and juices made from unripe apples contained more phenolic compounds than the ripe or overripe, but the effect was dependent on cultivar. The commercial yeast strains differed in the release of free HCAs, especially p-coumaric acid, during the yeast fermentation. In ciders inoculated with S. bayanus, the content was higher than in ciders fermented with S. cerevisiae.