Source for Cytolase (pectic enzyme product)

[Dana A. Glei]

Does anyone know a pectic enzyme product called cytolase? And more specifically where one could buy it in the US. My understanding is that was the product that my family's business, Glei's Orchards (in Hillsdale, Michigan) used to treat freshly pressed apple juice to break down the pectins and clarify it. Most people sell sweet cider unclarified, but they've always been known for having clear sweet cider. Unfortunately, they seem to have misplaced the records and the computer where all that information was stored. They need to make juice but they don't know where to buy Cytolase. They think it was pretty expensive (something like $500 a jug) and came in a liquid form.

What I've been able to find out about it is that the main ingredient is pectinase but it also contains cellulase and xylanase. For whatever reason, Google doesn't seem to be able to tell me where to buy it (although I found academic articles on it, Maybe it's sold under a brand name?).

They were able to buy some pectic enzyme product from a brewery supply in Ann Arbor as a stopgap, but I don't think it's going to work as well as the stuff the Cytolase product. And they used almost all of the 5 lb of it they just bought to make one run of juice (500 gallons maybe?). We're trying to see if we can find somebody that knows where they bought it, but nobody seems to remember.

If anybody has any clue, I'd appreciate the help.

Dana Glei (IG: @dana.glei)

[Taylog1]

Dana,

It looks like cytolase was trademark of Genencor, but now cancelled.

 https://uspto.report/TM/73768505

 

Genencor looks to have been bought by IFF.

 IFFs equivalent appears to be PEKTOZYME™ Mash

 https://www.gusmerjuice.com/enzymes/

 

 You could try asking them if this is equivalent, they should know.

 

Gareth

[Dana A. Glei]

Thanks, Gareth, for the additional information.  That is helpful.

As it turns out, the pectinase blend Glei's is currently using is not Cytolase after all.  My Dad finally found the jug of it tucked away in a corner.  It is called Rapidase C80 KPO.  After Dad gave me the correct brand name, I found it online in less than 30 seconds (https://www.centerchem.com/products/rapidase-c80-kpo/).  It is some pectinase blend, but the website doesn't mention Cytolase anywhere.  I haven't seen the jug, but I suspect it doesn't say anything about cytolase anywhere on it.  My guess is that, at some point, they were using Cytolase (the academic papers I found suggest it was developed in France more than 20 years ago).  But, at some point, they must have switched to the current product (perhaps because, as you discovered, Genencor is no more).  It is no wonder I couldn't find it,  and none of the 4 companies I called from CA to NY had any idea what I was talking about.  It was like someone giving you the following directions:  "Turn where the old red barn used to be that burned down 10 years ago."

In the end, they bought a powdered pectinase product they could readily get from a fermenter's supply store in Ann Arbor.  Dad says the final result was just as clear as it ever was with the previous product.  I still think they are better off with a liquid pectinase blend than a powdered pectinase blend--dosage is lower, easier to mix (and my Dad agrees).  For now, they have plenty of the Rapidase C80 KPO to make a LOT of clarified sweet apple *cider* (i.e., unfermented).  However, in the process of calling around, I found out about several alternative liquid pectinase blends, most of which are sold in 25kg or 50kg volumes (which would make one hell of a lot of apple juice).  Glei's makes something like 50K gallons a year, so it would be silly to buy 25kg of liquid pectinase.  I talked to someone at GoodNature.com, who gave me a link to a liquid pectinase called Pectinex Ultra SP-L (https://modernistpantry.com/products/pectinex-ultra-sp-l.html).  They sell that not only in very small quantities but also in 1L for $70 (and by special order in 16L for $850).  I told Dad it might be worth testing that product. It is possible it works reasonably well and is cheaper.

When I first started making (fermented) cider, I used pectinase as recommended by our vintner's supply store and other cidermaking handbooks.  But, what I learned later from Scott Health (at Tilted Shed Ciderworks) and Darlene Hayes (allintocider.com) is that I don't really need to use any pectinase.  It will clear on its own--you just have to be patient.  [For Glei's, they cannot wait for days, let alone months. They need to be bottling the next day.  They sometimes make sweet *cider* 3-4 times a week during peak season.]  I haven't used pectinase in years and my cider clears just fine...if I give it time.

Next time they make cider, my Dad is going to treat one of the tanks with the powdered pectinase (because they bought more of it before they found the jug of Rapidase) and the other tank with the Rapidase C80 KPO.  It will be interesting to compare the results in terms of clarity.

Cheers,

Dana Glei