Acceptability of a multi-step intervention system to improve apple cider safety

A multi-step intervention system against Escherichia coli O157:H7 in apple cider was studied. The system consisted of adding 0.05% (w/v) each of sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate, holding cider at 35 degreesC for 6 h, followed by freezing and thawing the cider. This system was tested in triplicate 10 ml volumes of eight lots of cider throughout the 2000 season. For all ciders, E. coli O157:H7 numbers were reduced by greater than or equal to 3.0 log units, with greater than or equal to 5.0 log unit reductions for 6 of 8 ciders. For blends of early- and late-season (2000) ciders treated and then thawed in 3.51 volumes (jugs), no survivors were detected (greater than or equal to 3.3-4.3 log unit reductions). In consumer acceptance panels (one cider tasted per panel) each treated cider received a mean (n of 191-201) score of 5.5-6.1 (5 "like slightly"; 6 = "like moderately"). In a direct comparison, the treated cider had a significantly (P < 0.05) lower mean score (n = 189) of 5.6 compared to heat-pasteurized cider (mean score of 6.1). Although the multi-step intervention system may provide sufficient lethality under certain conditions, its inconsistent lethality and lower consumer acceptability reduce its usefulness as an alternative to high-temperature short-time pasteurization. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.