## 3 Results and Discussion  
### Characterization and Selection of Apple Juice and Cider Samples  
The overall acceptability and emotions induced for consumers by AJ and C samples are shown in Table 2. In comparing AJ samples, it was found that AJ prepared from frozen apples had 11.1% higher overall acceptability than AJ prepared from fresh apples.  
The overall acceptability of all the C samples was, on average, 6.6 points. A very strong positive correlation was found between the overall acceptability of AJ and C and the emotion 'happy' (r = 0.9173), and moderate negative correlations were established between the overall acceptability of AJ and C samples and the emotions 'angry' and'surprised' (r = \(-\)0.6360 and r = \(-\)0.5988, respectively).  
The physicochemical parameters of the samples (Table 2) showed correlations with the overall acceptability, and increasing pH and lightness (L*) reduced the overall acceptability of the samples (r = \(-\)0.7032 and r = \(-\)0.8401, respectively). However, increasing dry matter (DM), redness (a*), and yellowness (b*) increased overall acceptability (r = \(-\)0.8394, r = \(-\)0.7836, and r = \(-\)0.8776, respectively).  
Saccharide and ethanol concentrations in non-fermented AJ and C samples are shown in Table 3. Comparing AJ samples, juice prepared from frozen apples had 45.9%, 50.4%, and 33.3% higher fructose, glucose, and saccharose concentrations, respectively, than juice prepared from fresh apples. No ethanol was determined in AJ; in C samples, the ethanol concentration was, on average, 2.62 g 100 g-1. Fructose was found in C samples No.3 and No.4 (0.781 and 0.490 g 100 g-1, respectively).  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Pathogens**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Frozen Apple Juice**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Fresh Apple Juice**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**C-No.1**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**C-No.2**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**C-No.3**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**C-No.4**} \\ \cline{2-7}  & \multicolumn{4}{c}{**Diameter of Inhibition Zone, mm**} \\ \hline _Escherichia coli_ & nd & nd & nd & nd & nd & nd \\ _Klebsiella pneumoniae_ & nd & nd & nd & nd & nd & nd \\ _Salmonella enterica_ & nd & nd & nd & nd & nd & nd \\ _Cronobacter sakazkii_ & nd & nd & nd & nd & nd & nd \\ _Acinetobacter baumaniii_ & nd & nd & nd & nd & nd \\ _Pseudomonas aeruginosa_ & nd & nd & nd & nd & nd \\ _Staphylococcus aureus_ & nd & nd & nd & nd & nd \\ _S. haemolyticus_ & nd & nd & nd & nd \\ _Bacillus subtilis_ & 11.2 \(\pm\) 0.2 & 8.34 \(\pm\) 0.29 & 8.10 \(\pm\) 0.31 & nd & nd & nd \\ _Streptococcus mutans_ & nd & nd & nd & nd & nd \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table}
Table 4: Antimicrobial properties of apple juice and cider.  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Parameters**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Frozen Apple**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Fresh Apple**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**C-No.1**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**C-No.2**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**C-No.3**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**C-No.4**} \\ \hline OA & 9.0 \(\pm\) 0.3 b & 8.0 \(\pm\) 0.4 a & 6.0 \(\pm\) 0.8 a & 7.0 \(\pm\) 0.5 a,b & 7.5 \(\pm\) 0.6 b & 6.0 \(\pm\) 0.7 a \\  & \multicolumn{4}{c}{**Emotions induced for consumers (from 0 to 1)**} \\ Neutral & 0.891 \(\pm\) 0.024 & 0.905 \(\pm\) 0.018 & 0.819 \(\pm\) 0.015 & 0.931 \(\pm\) 0.021 & 0.884 \(\pm\) 0.014 & 0.890 \(\pm\) 0.023 \\ Happy & 0.240 \(\pm\) 0.014 & 0.180 \(\pm\) 0.  
It was found that AJ (prepared from both frozen and fresh apples) and C sample No.1 inhibited _Bacillus subtilis_ (diameter of inhibition zone 11.2, 8.34, and 8.10 mm, respectively). However, AJ and C samples did not show antimicrobial properties against the other pathogens tested.  
According to the results obtained, frozen AJ and all the tested C samples were used for the development of combinations for preparation of NCC.