How to sanitize fruit/food items

How does one sanitize fruit before adding it to the fermentation vessel? Is boiling the only way?
Thank you.

you could put in in a bit of liquor for awhile. i did that with vanilla beans and it turned out pretty good. vodka will not contribute any additional flavor but other liquors might

I sprayed my vanilla beans with star San - suppose that could wor for fruit too...

Wineries don't even wash their grapes before pressing. Don't worry too much about it especially if additions are post-fermemtation.

The fruit purees that are made for brewing and winemaking come pre-sanatized in large cans. That's the easy way!

Wineries don't even wash their grapes before pressing. Don't worry too much about it especially if additions are post-fermemtation.

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Note that wild yeast is no where near as big of a deal in winemaking as it is in beer.

If you use fresh fruit for beer, you DO need to take steps to sanatize, as wild yeast is definitely a factor in fresh fruit, and WILL sour your beer. Most people puree and boil. All it takes is about 40 seconds at a temp over 180 to sanatize fruit, so if you don't go the pre-packaged route, take those 40 seconds!

Good luck!

Depending on the type of fruit you may want to be careful about getting it too hot or else you'll start getting pectin gels which will cloud up the beer. I typically put my fruit in just enough water to cover it and then pasteurize at 150-160F for 10-15mins.

TopherM said:

If you use fresh fruit for beer, you DO need to take steps to sanatize, as wild yeast is definitely a factor in fresh fruit, and WILL sour your beer.

Good luck!

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Not to steer us off-topic, but I kind of wanted a sour quality in my strawberry ale. I wonder if not sanitizing them would've been the answer...or if that would've just caused the entire batch to spoil in an awful way.

sidepart said:

Not to steer us off-topic, but I kind of wanted a sour quality in my strawberry ale. I wonder if not sanitizing them would've been the answer...or if that would've just caused the entire batch to spoil in an awful way.

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Usually an unknown with wild yeast. Many (most?) are undesirable. If you want a sour character, probably best to stick to a known bug/culture/blend (i.e., wyeast blends, bottle dregs, etc).

All,
Thank you for the replies. I'll make sure to put it to good use! For vodka used to sanitize, does the flavor of the fruit impart flavors into the vodka? I know I have heard that you can add the fruit and vodka right into the brew! Good idea or will it end up really messing with the flavors? Thanks!

I would think it would depend on the volume of the beer and the amount of Vodka being added. Personally I would drain off the Vodka onto ice and drink it. Then add the fruit to the beer.

beargrylls said:

you could put in in a bit of liquor for awhile. i did that with vanilla beans and it turned out pretty good. vodka will not contribute any additional flavor but other liquors might

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Eh, I would be sure to use a quality Vodka, cheap Vodka certainly has a flavor.

TopherM said:

If you use fresh fruit for beer, you DO need to take steps to sanatize, as wild yeast is definitely a factor in fresh fruit, and WILL sour your beer. Most people puree and boil. All it takes is about 40 seconds at a temp over 180 to sanatize fruit, so if you don't go the pre-packaged route, take those 40 seconds!

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If you freeze the fruit, it will both kill the majority of wild yeast, and break down the surface to allow the yeast to get into the sugars. Many people just add it straight from the freezer.

I use a lot of fruit my kids don't eat; often with mold on it. I cut off the mold, but don't fully trust the freezer.

Pasteurization happen after 10 seconds at 160 F, or 20 minutes at 145 F.

sidepart said:

Not to steer us off-topic, but I kind of wanted a sour quality in my strawberry ale. I wonder if not sanitizing them would've been the answer...or if that would've just caused the entire batch to spoil in an awful way.

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The alcohol would kill most problems. More would survive if the alcohol was lower. As noted above, freezing kills most.

It is a crap shoot using fresh fruit. Often they have wild yeast, it will not sour the ber, but can develop strange flavors.

Ramitt said:

Eh, I would be sure to use a quality Vodka, cheap Vodka certainly has a flavor.

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A few ounces in 5 gallons is not going to have any impact on flavor.

Good advice above. Your other option is Campden / K-meta. But freezing works great, that's all I do.

Thank you all, again. I hope to be trying some of these techniques soon! Do you think soaking in
Vodka then freezing and vice-versa is just beating a dead horse?

Both are minimal cost, minimal time activities...go for it.

Jaehnig said:

How does one sanitize fruit before adding it to the fermentation vessel? Is boiling the only way?
Thank you.

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Don't boil -- pasteurize. Also, depending upon the fruit pectin haze might be an issue.

Are there certain types of fruit that have a higher pectin content? Such as like citrus as an example of types.

I visited a “pick your own peach” farm yesterday and bought a "peck of peaches".

I told the guy I had a friend that was "wild" about Dogfish heads peach beer and was going to make some for him.

He said I guy had just come by and picked a bunch to make Peach Brandy and was picking them off the ground, said it did not matter the condition of the fruit.

He then offered as many as I wanted off the ground if I wanted them...

So I have been thinking about this,,, pick'em of the ground, rinse them in some StarSan, cut the "bad" pieces out, and fill a half dozen "Homer" buckets.

I also thought about pureeing on site and adding a bit of "bug/culture/blend" (or as I call them "beasties") to each barrel and drive home....

I need to contact my LHB-Club and see if anyone wants to play... I figure I can freeze a bunch if need be... OH I am outside of Wash-DC.

A note on pectic haze; use pectic enzyme!

I'm a beginner, too, but I'm thinking of adding some bananas to my next batch. As I understand it, the trick is to make sure its free of contaminants while preserving some of the character/flavors of the fruit (which might boil off its its in your wort).
For my own part, I am planning on freezing the peeled bananas, thawing them, then puree-ing them in the cuisinart with liquor (99 Bananas) to kill of any undesirables. Then I plan to add it (late) to the primary after the initial krausen sinks.
The mechanics of this worry me a little, though. My plan is to remove the airlock to re-sanitize it. I will fire the lip of the carboy with a lighter (one of the bigger ones you use for your grill), use a sanitized funnel to add the liquored-up puree, then re-fire the lip and reattach the air lock.
I think adding the liquor to your fruit has two other benefits, as well: its ups your alcohol content a little, plus gives you a chance to add a more complex layer of flavor. (Presumably the banana liquor will be different than the fresh-fruit banana flavor).

unless you add alot of liquor, youre not going to affect your ABV by any noticeable amount