Apple-cider vinegar

Apple-cider vinegar (ACV) is made from fermented apple juice. It is made by crushing apples, pressing out the juice, then adding yeasts and bacteria to start the fermentation process, converting the sugar into alcohol. Continued fermentation occurs when the alcohol is converted into vinegar by acetic acid-forming bacteria (Acetobacter species). The acetic acid and malic acid give the vinegar its sour taste. Vinegar can also be made from apple peels (APCV).

While vinegar can be made from almost), traditional apple-cider vinegar is made by a slower process with a longer fermentation than vinegar made from grapes, which allows for an accumulation of a non-toxic “slime” composed of yeasts and acetic acid bacteria called the “mother” of the vinegar. The quality of the final product is determined by the quality of the raw materials and by the microbial diversity involved in the fermentation. Apple-cider vinegars made from apples with a higher sugar content have greater nutrient density including increased antioxidant properties, particularly the antioxidant SOD (superoxide dismutase) activity.