Apples (Malus domestica) are one of the most popular fruits on earth and its popularity is for a good reason. They’re an exceptionally healthy fruit with many benefits. This agric produce is full of nutrients that can keep your body healthy and promote digestion. They can be processed into different products for our everyday living. let’s look at some apple fruit products and how they’re made.
Apples are packed with vitamin C, carbohydrates and fiber. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), women ages 19 through 30 should eat 2 cups of fruit a day and women above the age of 31 should eat 1-1/2 cups of fruit a day, likewise the men. For apples, 1 small apple or a cup of chopped or sliced apple whether raw or cooked, counts as 1 cup of fruit.
So whichever apple product you’re taking, you know how to calculate a cup or 2.
Apple Fruit Products
Apple Jam
Apple juice is one of the fruit juice which is manufactured by maceration and pressing of apples. The expelled juice is further processed by centrifugal and enzymatic clarification to remove the pectin and starch.
The resulting juice just holds the fine particulate in suspension which is then pasteurized for packing in glass, metal or aseptic processing system containers.
There is also unfiltered fresh apple juice without further processing which is also packaged and sold in markets, but generally when they refer to apple juice; they mean the clarified and pasteurized one, which is commonly known as apple cider.
Apple Pulp
Apple pulp is manufactured by picking fresh fruits, which are clean, sound and properly matured. The fruit and the pulp is processed and packed in accordance with proper manufacturing practices, following aseptic packaging.
The fruit as such as slices or as pulp is pre heated and then packaged. These kind of pulp or slices apples are mostly used in the processing of apple juice and then they are sold as such. Apple pulp is used in making of cookies, cakes, muffins and other such bakery products.
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The slices of apple are also used in cakes or as a decorative in bakery products; they are also eaten as such. Since it is packaged in aseptic method, they generally have a long shelf life.
Apple Jelly
Apple jelly is a soft fruit spread made from apple juice. It is sweetened with sugar and gels to the texture of store-bought jelly when cool.
Apple jelly actually, any jelly—is made from fruit juice, instead of whole fruits like we use when making jam. Minus that change, the process is pretty similar to other jam recipes—easy!
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Apple Concentrates
Apple juice concentrate is generally produced by evaporating the fresh apple juice, which is extracted from farm fresh juicy apples. Fresh apple juice has a concentration of around 11 to 13 brix. Evaporating the fresh juice, yields a good apple concentrate.
This is very helpful for packaging and the same time reduces the spoilage, giving an extended shelf life.
Apple Pomace
Pomace is the solid remains of any fruit, after processing for juice or oil, which mainly contains the skin, pulp, seeds and stalk of the fruit. Apple pomace is the major by product of the apple juice industry.
Also it has been found to be a better substrate in the production of baker’s yeast. Cakes prepared with apple pomace had higher dietary fiber and phenolic contents than the control product; hence, apple pomace has potential to be a good source of dietary fiber and polyphenols.
In conclusion
An apple a day keeps the doctor away. so whether you’re eating the whole fruit or one of its products, you’re doing yourself some good.
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