Project details
Status: Completed
Do Tassie apples make a different cider to Queensland apples?
In an Australian first, TIA PhD student Madeleine Way is testing if the quality of cider is affected by where an apple is grown.
Madeleine will ferment small batches of cider with apples from across the country to determine how the quality of cider is affected by yeast, region and variety.
There are many different factors that can affect the quality of cider. Gaining an understanding of the different influences will give producers more control over the style and quality of the product.
Good cider is heavily influenced by a fine balance of organic compounds called phenolics which are responsible for colour, taste, mouth feel and flavour.
Measuring these compounds allows Madeleine to compare the difference in content between the ciders.
This information will be shared with the cider industry to help improve understanding about the importance of variety and region in cider making, just like there is for wine.
Madeleine is the recipient of a prestigious $120,000 Westpac Future Leaders Scholarship which supports her research into Australia’s cider industry.
Watch the video and spend 3 fast minutes with Madeleine to get a sneak peek at the science behind cider.