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Hard apple cider is considered to be a low-risk product for food spoilage and mycotoxin contamination due to its alcoholic nature and associated food sanitation measures. However, the thermotolerant mycotoxin-producing fungusPaecilomyces niveusmay pose a significant threat to hard cider producers.Pa. niveusis known to infect apples (Malusxdomestica), and previous research indicates that it can survive thermal processing and contaminate finished apple juice with the mycotoxin patulin. To determine if hard apple cider is susceptible to a similar spoilage phenomenon, cider apples were infected withPa. niveusor one of three patulin-producingPenicilliumspecies and the infected fruits underwent benchtop fermentation. Cider was made with lab inoculated Dabinett and Medaille d’Or apple cultivars, and patulin was quantified before and after fermentation. Results show that all four fungi can infect cider apples and produce patulin, some of which is lost during fermentation. OnlyPa. niveuswas able to actively grow throughout the fermentation process. To determine if apple cider can be treated to hinderPa. niveusgrowth, selected industry-grade sanitation measures were tested, including chemical preservatives and pasteurization. High concentrations of preservatives inhibitedPa. niveusgrowth, but apple cider flash pasteurization was not found to significantly impact spore germination. This study confirms that hard apple cider is susceptible to fungal-mediated spoilage and patulin contamination.Pa. niveusshould be of great concern to hard apple cider producers due to its demonstrated thermotolerance, survival in fermentative environments, and resistance to sanitation measures.HighlightsApple fruits of traditional cider cultivars Dabinett and Medaille d’Or were found to be susceptible to infection by three patulin-producingPenicilliumspp. andPaecilomyces niveusPa. niveuscan grow in finished fermented hard cider at 5.22% ethanolPatulin levels in cider were reduced by fermentation but still exceeded 50 µg/kg, a maximum limit set by various regulatory agenciesPa. niveuswas observed to be able to grow in low concentrations of three preservatives: potassium sorbate, sulfur dioxide, and sodium benzoate |
