"Apple Communication" has delivered the growth of apples twice. This time, I visited the apple farm in Aomori Prefecture, which has reached the harvest season, for the first time in two months. Autumn deepens, and the apple is delicious season from now on! How is the quality of apples this year? And what is the juice born from that apple? This is the final series of the series, and we will follow the process from apple harvesting to juice.

I asked Mr. Shibata, an apple farmer, about how well this year's apples were made.

Mr. Shibata "It seems to have become a rainy summer throughout the country, but the Tsugaru region in Aomori Prefecture has been followed by relatively sunny days. Because the difference is large, it is well-colored and grows into a sweet apple.【Juice】Aomori ringo "Tsugaru""We finished the harvest in early September, but this is also a great achievement."

There is no damage from the typhoon this year and it is said that she is growing up in a good quality apple. A lot of sweetness. It looks like you can eat crispy juicy Aomori apples. I look forward to it!

After harvesting, the apples that the farmer cherished carefully over the palm of the tree are brought into a facility called "Selection Place", and are sorted according to their size and coloring. Good colors and good looks are for gifts and some good ones are selected for private use, but some of them are irregularly shaped, poorly colored, and some apples that have been scratched ...... In fact, it is said that apples that are said to be "spring" are not sold in the market, and are used for processing such as juice and jam.

"I look a little inferior, but the taste is the same as other apples, so it will be reborn as a processed product," Mr. Shibata told me.

It is "apple juice" which is a standard of fruit juice, but its production process is hardly known. How is it going to be juice? ?

I was chased after the battered apple, and it was JA Aoren's apple juice factory. It seems that there is a great technology called “sealed milking” to keep the taste of freshly picked apples in the juice, but ... What kind of technology is it?

Well, here is the problem before infiltrating the factory. The words "Concentrated reduced juice" and "Straight juice" often found in packages of 100% fruit juice. Do you know the difference between the two?

"Concentrated reduced juice" refers to the juice produced by heating the squeezed juice to drive off the water and adding water again. Generally, the volume is reduced to about one third by heating the juice in a vacuum. In the case of juice, it is shipped after adding the evaporated water to the concentrated juice. The aroma may be blown off during heating, so perfumes may be added when making into products, but the transportation cost of the raw materials can be lowered, so it is possible to enjoy at a low price for concentrated reduced juice juice It is an attraction more than anything.

"Straight juice", on the other hand, refers to the packed juice that has been squeezed without evaporating the water. If so, you might think, "Can you enjoy the taste of a real apple?" But that's where apple juice processing is difficult. It is said that the addition of vitamin C is unavoidable because the juice will discolor if antioxidants are not added. Vitamin C is the same as acidulant, so it tends to leave acidity in the juice. It is finished in sour juice than the original taste of the apple.

"Containing the taste of the apple itself in the juice" without using antioxidants seems to be very difficult even in the industry, but it was realized that it was originally developed by JA Aoren " Sealed milking technology. This time, I was able to show the production line specially.

Then, sneak into the manufacturing plant you wait for now! Let's take a quick look at how the juice of "just like the freshly picked apples are made" is made.

Apples brought to the factory are first to the washing line. After the dirt on the surface is washed away with water, it is further cleaned using a brush. The washing process is carefully done because the skin is made into juice.

The cleaned apples are transported to a crusher and are grated finely in anoxic conditions. After the “fruit-filled mash” is formed, the liquid and solid are separated using high-speed centrifugation. The remaining juice is sterilized and stored in a tank without oxygen. In addition, the juice in the tank is blended just before shipment, and it seems to be a product after equalizing the taste.

As mentioned earlier, the straight juice that is made here uses a unique process called “sealed squeezing process”, but this is the secret of making delicious apple juice! I was told in more detail by Mr. Kaminaoki of JA Aoren Sales Department how great technology it was.

Mr. God "In the case of general straight fruit juice, the apple is crushed to about 5 mm to 1 cm square and then squeezed, but the color changes when the enzyme possessed by the apple touches the air, At the time of crushing, we will spray the vitamin C solution, which will cause unique juices to have a unique sourness and smell, but this is not the case with closed squeezing. I don't need any antioxidants because I'm gritting apples in my machine, and I'm not gritting apples, but I can't leave them with the smell and texture contained in the flesh. So the taste is completely different. "

If the juice is sealed milk without antioxidants, sweet apples are sweet and sour apples are sour. You can enjoy the original taste of apples!

Mr. God "Aomori has cultivated many apple varieties. I thought that each kind of taste had its own taste, and I would like you to taste the difference even in the juice. However, how to squeeze out the taste is very It is not difficult to say, “Just squeeze it.” Depending on the variety, the fineness of grated moromi and the strength to squeeze are slightly changed. We are looking for the most delicious timing. "

It is a squeezed juice with a reputation for being able to enjoy "a fresh feeling like a round apple." What's more, I can not help but expect that they can compare breed-specific characteristics! I would like to drink various kinds of apple juice quickly!

It is an apple juice of the closed squeezing that you can feel the delicious "individuality" which the apple has with juice well, but in fact it is JR EastekinakaIt is inacureDo you know that you can purchase with your vending machine? that isacure made"Aomori apple" series. In this product to be the eighth series, red "【Juice】Aomori ringo "Tsugaru""Yellow"【Juice】Aomori ringo "Kiou"It seems that you can enjoy drinking comparisons of the varieties. I would like to taste what kind of difference there is.

"【Juice】Aomori ringo "Tsugaru""Is a fast-growing variety representing Aomori, but it is likely to be short, because it is popular. "【Juice】Aomori ringo "Kiou""Is a relatively new breed, so it seems to be a rare breed with a still small amount of production. As it is difficult to secure a certain amount in either case, it is very valuable to be able to compare juices with a single brand.

By the way, "apple communication" which has been delivered in all three times for 4 months. By the time the delicious apple grew, I knew that there were so many ingenuity and hard work of the farmers.ekinakaApple juice is also true. Just because it is a master craftsmanship, it has a great skill, so it is finished with a delicious juice from which the taste of apples has been extracted to the maximum. Aomori apple juice will finally reach its end of season. I want you to have a heart!

※ "acureDrinks that can be purchased at the vending machine will differ depending on the station and time.
Advertiser name: JR East Japan Water Business Co., Ltd.
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