Apple cider

Fresh cider is raw apple juice that has not undergone a filtration process to remove coarse particles of pulp or sediment.

When modern refrigeration emerged, cider and other fruit juices could be kept cold or frozen for long periods of time, slowing down fermentation.

Outbreaks of illness resulted in some state government regulations requiring any commercially produced cider to be treated either with heat or UV radiation.

As a result, natural raw cider is a specialty seasonal beverage, produced on-site at orchards and small rural mills in apple growing areas and sold there, at farmers markets, and some juice bars.

Frequently blends of heirloom varieties such as Jonathan and Winesap, once among the most sought-after cider apples for tangy flavor, are used.

Pasteurization, which partially cooks the juice, results in some change of the sweetness, body and flavor of the cider;[6] UV radiation has less noticeable effects.

Impetus for Federal level regulation began with outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7 from unpasteurized apple cider and other illnesses caused by contaminated fruit juices in the late 1990s.

[10] The U.S. regulations were finalized in 2001, with the FDA issuing a rule requiring that juice producers and most large cider producers follow Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) controls,[11] using either heat pasteurization, ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI), or other proven methods to achieve a 5-log reduction in pathogens.

These consisted of a stone or wood trough with a heavy circulating wheel to crush the fruit, and a large manual screw press to express the juice from the pulp.

The Palmer Bros. Company, of Cos Cob, CT, made the most popular "modern" rack and cloth press from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s, when production shifted to OESCO in Massachusetts.

The resulting juice is then stored in refrigerated tanks, pasteurized to kill bacteria and extend shelf life, and bottled and sold as apple cider.