Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

nafex - [NAFEX] Apple Press Pomace

nafex@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Don Yellman <don.yellman@webformation.com>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [NAFEX] Apple Press Pomace
  • Date: Fri, 05 Dec 2008 18:16:27 -0500

Mark:

A question like this without the context of how you will press your apple
pomace, and why this particular question is of interest may get several
different responses, depending on the assumptions one makes.

I assume, but do not know for sure, that you are trying to calculate the length of
throw required of your hydraulic cylinder or pressing screw so that it fully expels the
juice at maximum extension. A little more information on the design of the press you
are building and how you expect it to work might clear this up. When you refer to your
"bucket", do you mean an actual, perforated bucket, or a traditional pressing
basket, made from banded hardwood slats? I do not, BTW, recommend use of a drilled
bucket, either plastic or metal, since even multiple holes will quickly clog, and the
job will be slow.

My press is a basket type with a long pressing screw. This type of basket must be used
with heavy pressing bags of the type sold by Happy Valley, when the pomace is made with
a kitchen disposal or other machinery that produces a fine pomace. Without the bags,
the pomace would simply run out between the slats, with little or no pressure. I
discharge the pomace from my disposal into 5-gallon plastic buckets lined with pressing
bags, filling them about half full, and press two of these bags at a time. An average
height for two bags in the basket might be about 12-14 inches, and it will press down
to about 3-4 inches of dry pomace. Bob Capshew's press, utilizing the traditional
cheese method, is probably larger than mine and will do a larger volume with a single
pressing, but the reduction ratio would be about the same. If you use a hand grinder
such as the "apple eater" that produces a coarser grind, the pomace will not
press down as much and your juice yield will be red
uced.

So give us a little more insight into the design concepts of your press, and
you might get some suggestions that would be quite helpful.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA



Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page