Cider generally refers to a drink made from apple extract. The taste is sweet with a mixture of little alcohol. There are fermented and unfermented versions, but the former dominates the market. Fermentation of acetic acid turns it into cider vinegar.
Dragon fruit is popular for its many health benefits. Many farmers turned to pitahaya production due to the high demand and high market price. However, almost half of the product is wasted due to low-quality fruits. Waste problems could be solved by processing.
A number of processes can turn dragon fruits into cider and cider vinegar.
1. Good quality fruits are the best choice, but fruits with scars and broken skin can be selected as ingredients. Dragon fruits are an expensive commodity. Choosing fruit with damaged skin cuts the cost of the recipe in half.
2. Wash the fruit under running water. Cut into quarters. Remove the meat by pulling on the shell with your bare hands. Blend in a Waring blender using the low speed setting. The high setting breaks up small seeds and results in an ugly looking product. The electric juicer can also be used to extract the juice.
4. Place in a wide-mouthed stainless steel pot. Cover and leave for approximately 24 hours to allow the pulp to float. Scoop out the pulp carefully and get the settled clear juice. Filter through cheesecloth to remove any remaining fibers. Use the pulp to make jam or puree.
5. Adjust the sugar content to 20%. Dragon fruit generally has a strong flavor, so the sugar needs to be adjusted. Use refractometer or sugar hydrometer to do it accurately.
7. Transfer to the fermentation bottle and ferment for three to four weeks or until it reaches six percent alcohol content. Begin monitoring after two weeks using an alcohol hydrometer. The natural microflora of the clear extract can be used to ferment it naturally. Or, it can be pasteurized for 15 minutes at 70 degrees Celsius and added with wine yeast.
8. Fill into a clean, sterilized bottle. Pasteurize for 15 minutes at 70 degrees Celsius and cover immediately.
9. To further process into vinegar, skip step eight. Transfer the cider to a wide-mouthed container. Allow about five inches of headroom. Allow the natural fermentation of the acetic acid for one week. A small amount of mother vinegar can be added to speed up the process.
10. Pack the product as described in step eight.