Sour apple is a tart and tangy flavor of natural apple juice and manufactured beverages and confections. Sourness is commonly associated with green apples, particularly Granny Smith apples, though many sour apple-flavored products contain no actual apple.[cn] It is widely used in food products to provide a sharp, acidic taste that contrasts with sweetness.[cn] The crabapple was referred to as a "sour apple tree" by John Wilkins as early as 1668.[1]

"The sweetness and sourness of an apple primarily depend on the amount of sugars and organic acids".[2]

An 1846 publication of the Agricultural Societies of Massachusetts related that the "Early Harvest" apple, also known as the Bough or the Juneating, is "the earliest and best sour apple".[3][relevant?]

Numerous phytochemicals are responsible for sour apple flavor. These include malic acid – the dominant organic acid in Granny Smith apples – citric acid and tartaric acid, which together provide most of the sour apple tartness.[4][relevant?] The combination of organic acids with apple content of fructose and glucose affect overall apple sourness and aroma.[4][relevant?]

In manufactured sour apple flavors, "[c]itric acid is good for most fruit-flavored candies, but malic acid has a slightly salty overtone that, for some reason, makes it more suitable for sour-apple flavoring".[5]

Also contributing to sour apple flavor are "medium-chain fatty acid ethyl esters, such as ethyl octanoate (sour apple flavor)... make up the second significant category" of esters used to create fruit flavors and aromas.[6]

Sour apple flavored schnapps is used on occasion to make cocktails: the Appletini for instance, very popular in the 1990s, was frequently flavored using the ingredient.[7]

References

  1. ^ Wilkins, John (February 18, 1668). "An Alphabetical Dictionary: Wherein All English Words According to Their Various Significations, are Either Referred to Their Places in the Philosophical Tables, Or Explained by Such Words as are in Those Tables". p. 37 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ Kim, Keono; Chun, Ik-Jo; Suh, Joon Hyuk; Sung, Jeehye (June 30, 2023). "Relationships between sensory properties and metabolomic profiles of different apple cultivars". Food Chemistry: X. 18: 100641. doi:10.1016/j.fochx.2023.100641. PMC 10053392. PMID 37008726.
  3. ^ Massachusetts Office of the Secretary of State (February 23, 1846). "Transactions of the Agricultural Societies of Massachusetts". p. 45 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ a b Mezey, Ján; Serralegri, Davide (2018). "Selected Quantitative Parameters Comparison of Apples from Bio- and Conventional Production (see Table 4)" (PDF). Athens Journal of Sciences. 5 (4): 343–354. doi:10.30958/ajs.5-4-3.
  5. ^ Hodgman, Ann (February 18, 1987). "Artificial Sweets for the Sweet". Spy. Sussex Publishers, LLC. p. 56 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ Samakradhamrongthai, Rajnibhas Sukeaw (February 18, 2024). Aroma and Flavor in Product Development: Characterization, Perception, and Application. Springer Nature. p. 96. ISBN 978-3-031-62612-8 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ Schaap, Rosie (2021). "Schnapps". In David, Wondrich (ed.). The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19931-114-9.


Category:Food additives Category:Flavors Category:Apple dishes

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