[Cider Workshop] Pear pressing

[cideroz]

We recently tried Beurre Bosc pears as a trial run for perry making -
when the real things start to bear fruit. The fruit certainly crushed
well but the pressing performance was marginally above hopeless,
estimated yield in a rack and cloth setup was about 20-25% compared
with approx 60% for cider apples. The clothes were showing very
substantial internal pressure but not much juice found it's way out.
When you squeezed a handful of crushed material the pulp found it's
way out between your fingers rather than giving up it's juice.

Do all pears (including perrys) behave this way or was this just BBosc
behaviour? Can anyone recommend a partial or total solution to the
problem?

David Pickering
"Linden Lea" Huntley Road, Orange NSW 2800

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Cider Workshop" group.
To post to this group, send email to cider-w...@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cider-worksho...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cider-workshop?hl=en.

[greg l.]

David, Maybe you let the pears get too soft. Last year I milled
dessert pears while still firm and got a reasonable yield, though the
pH was pretty high.

I hope I can get some perry budwood from the orange research station
this year, I have some rootstocks ready.

Greg Lee, Bathurst.

[Nick Bradstock]

Most UK perry makers - if they're using table pears rather than perry pears
- enzyme the pulp (pectolytic enzyme) before pressing for this very reason.
Perry pears have an entirely different character and the whole case reflects
the experience of cider making from cider apples or table apples - but in a
much more extreme way.
But I would bow to Andrew to explain why!
Best
Nick

[MARK SHIRLEY]

>
> Do all pears (including perrys) behave this way or was this
> just BBosc
> behaviour? Can anyone recommend a partial or total solution
> to the
> problem?

My experience of pressing several vaieties of perry pear last year is that if anything they press even better than cider apples. They mill to a wet, porridgy mess which looks as if it will clog the cloths up terribly, but under pressure gives what seems like a huge amount of juice, leaving a very dry pomace. I did notice that some of the perry pears we didn't manage to harvest in good time had gone over to the usual 'dry' unjuicy consistency which seems to be common with all pears.

Mark

[Andrew Lea]

I agree with Nick. Dessert pears (and dessert apples) are much easier to
press if the pulp / mash is incubated with a commercial pectic enzyme
cocktail before pressing. Usually that is at room temperature overnight
or at 55C for 2 hours. This is standard practice in Central Europe and
elsewhere where such fruit is processed for juice and specific 'mash
enzymes' are on sale. These enzymes in effect complete the partial
pectin breakdown which has already started to take place in the fruit.

One key reason that cider apples and perry pears differ from their
dessert equivalents is that they have been selected for 'pressability'
and specifically for a lack of this partial pectin breakdown. It is a
while since I checked out the details of the science behind it, but
received wisdom is that it's to do with differences in the internal
enzyme activity in the fruit possibly coupled to differences in calcium
and other divalent cations that link the pectin into cell walls. Before
commercial pulp enzymes were available, kieselguhr, wood pulp or rice
hulls (in the US) were used as press aids. According to Alfred Pollard
at Long Ashton (whom Nick may remember?) in a 1971 article, "the
addition of lime appears to have been traditional in the pressing of
over-ripe apples for cider intended for distillation".

The modern fix is a tailored mash enzyme eg Pectinex Ultra.

Andrew

Wittenham Hill Cider Page
http://www.cider.org.uk

[Nick Bradstock]

Phew! Glad Andrew endorses my recollection of what used to be / is still
done!
I remember Professor Pollard (as we cider students would respectfully
address him if invited to do so - not really, he was the most approachable
of men if with a rather dry manner and was always ready to share his great
learning and experience. As was also the case with his collaborator and
successor, Fred Beech. Both very much missed in today's industry.) very
well.
I have a very clear picture in my mind of the two of them together in the
LARS cider house in 1966 I think, typically enjoying a quiet chuckle with
John Llewellyn - also a clear picture, Prof Pollard with his cheroot
smouldering away. Wouldn't be allowed nowadays of course!
Thank you Andrew for inviting me to go off thread...

[Michael Cobb]

Was the crushed pulp more like a slurry? If so then it will not press
well as it is too wet. Something to provide channels for the juice to get
out may be needed. When I had a pear slurry a few years ago I pressed
some firm apples until they were dry, I then mixed the dry pomace with the
pear slurry. This then pressed well giving a good yield as the apple
provided the route out from the centre for the juice. It might be worth
trying something similar.

Michael Cobb

[MarkE.inOz]

Hi David,

We don't have much trouble with dessert pears in either our hydraulic
basket press or our screwpress. Our efficiency usually swings somwhere
between 45-55%

What brix where they? And did they rest after picking at all for any
length of time? Given the date I assume they were in storage for 3-4
weeks??

We tend to pick and press same day or weekend so we usually wait for a
fortnight after any codling stung fruit to drop before picking (Dad's
old school ripening gauge!) Brix tends to be between 15-17 for the
pears. But improtantly for us is that they are still quite firm/hard.
Perhaps a general reduction in aromatics from not being fully ripe but
with our hot summers we have a higher than average aromatic and
sorbitol load. The latter being a royal pain in the .... (pardon the
pun!)

Cheers
Mark E. in Oz