McGuire says there are no statistics on how many of the state's 79 cider producers are pasteurizing. He says the department is just beginning its inspections of cider makers this year. The FDA has enacted bacterial guidelines for cider that can only realistically be met by pasteurizing the juice, Annette Miner says. Jack Bucklyn is Miner's father. Some longtime cider makers are against the changes, Bucklyn says, but he can't argue with them.
Safety is more important than some traditions.
N.Y. The mill goes through 50 tons per week. Drops are a major source of E. coli contamination because they can come in contact with animal feces. The hand-picked apples they buy are washed before going into the grinder. The Miners did blind taste tests last year using pasteurized and unpasteurized cider and could not tell the difference between the two. One thing they have found, Miner says, is that pasteurized cider has a longer shelf life.