pH levels and number of Campden tablets

[da...@rnpromotions.co.uk]

The apples have been picked from about 8 different trees and as we have picked them we have tried them and only 1 of the trees was a Bramley so I would think about 20% of the weight might make up the pressed fruit so far.

 

We have only pressed about 25-30% of the total amount of apples picked  so far but we are not pressing again till Sunday and then hopefully to start picking again next week.

 

The pH paper strips was purchased from a home brew shop 2011 the last time I make some cider but they have been kept seal and dry in a cool place, they cover the 2.8-4.2 range.

 

We are not adding any yeast we are hoping for a wild yeast fermentation.

 

Could it be an in accurate reading from the paper strips?

 

Dave

[Andrew Lea]

On 01/11/2013 21:05, da...@rnpromotions.co.uk wrote:
>
> The pH paper strips was purchased from a home brew shop 2011 the last
> time I make some cider but they have been kept seal and dry in a cool
> place, they cover the 2.8-4.2 range.
> We are not adding any yeast we are hoping for a wild yeast fermentation.
> Could it be an in accurate reading from the paper strips?
>

Well as Ray pointed out the other day, and as the article on my website
shows, the pH strips are not as accurate as we would like them to be.
They are only coloured dyes after all, and their pH-sensitivity varies
according to the matrix they are used in. Storage may be part of the
issue - they should certainly be kept cool, dry and in the dark to
protect the dye - but my study showed that even fresh strips are not
always reliable. The best that can be said is that they are better than
nothing at all.

If you are using wild yeast then at pH 3 I would not exceed 25 ppm SO2
and remember you will have to wait a week or maybe even two before the
wild yeast has multiplied sufficiently to be obviously working (though
the current warm UK weather is being quite a help!). A cultured yeast
will give you more reassurance more quickly. That's your choice.

Andrew

--
Wittenham Hill Cider Portal
www.cider.org.uk

[da...@rnpromotions.co.uk]

I pressed another 100 litres of juice today and checked the pH with paper strips, again the indication was about 2.8 and I know no cookers was pressed only eating apples.  I ordered a digital pH meter and it should arrive tomorrow and I will re check todays 100 litres and then add the suggested number of campden lablets in the Craft Cider Making Book.  Would it be too late to add more campden tablets to the batch of 180 litres from last Friday if the new digital meter shows the paper strips where well out, I added 15 tables on Friday.

 

Dave

[Andrew Lea]

On 04/11/2013 21:19, da...@rnpromotions.co.uk wrote:
>
> I ordered a digital pH meter and it should arrive tomorrow and I will
> re check todays 100 litres and then add the suggested number of
> campden lablets in the Craft Cider Making Book.

Hope you have bought a pH4 calibration buffer too :-)

> Would it be too late to add more campden tablets to the batch of 180
> litres from last Friday if the new digital meter shows the paper
> strips where well out

As long as the juice is not in active fermentation, this may still be
worth doing. But once the yeast is seriously busy, you are wasting your
time, because the acetaldehyde produced by the yeast will bind up all
the sulphite.

I am surprised you are still using Campden Tablets when working on such
a relatively large scale. I find a stock metabisulphite solution is much
easier to use.

[Ray Blockley]

As a rider to Andrew's post, the website for my pH meter stated I needed pH4.0 and pH7.0 calibration buffers plus a Probe Storage Solution - which I duly ordered and paid for.

 

But the pH meter delivered does not require a Probe Storage Solution and must only be calibrated with a pH7.0 solution (it has it's own special "pH7.0 Calibration" button.

 

So buyer beware... Ask first, don't go by what the website says!

 

Ray

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