oops... potassium sorbate question

I had my bro pick up some cider on his way home from work a few days ago, prepped
my fermenter and pitched the yeast, hooray for cider...

Today (four days later) as I was throwing out the jugs and noticed that the cider contained potassium sorbate. My question is should I dump the bucket or will this actually ferment?

Maybe. If you pitched enough viable yeast and the sorbate was not a whole lot, you might have it start. If you have another package of wine or cider yeast, you could try making a starter for it. I've been able to (once!) get a ferment going on a previously sorbated juice.

To make a starter, use a little yeast nutrient and some (unpreserved!) apple juice and a little water at about 85 degrees. Pitch the yeast in there, and every couple of hours add a little more apple juice. When it's going really, really well, you can add a tiny bit of your must to it. If it's still going, add a bit more. Etc. Sometimes you can overcome the sorbate that way. Sometimes not.

thx a bunch. I asked the guy at the farm stand why the juice was preserved, he ran out of local so he had some shipped in from elsewhere.

I'll let it go until this weekend and check to see if its gravity has changed at all but ive got another bucket to try again so ill make another batch and hope for the best.

The toppings contain potassium benzoate.
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That's bad.

Click to expand...

Sorry, I couldn't resist...and ifyou don't get the reference, shame on ye! What is potassium sorbate?

"The frogurt is also cursed."

But it comes with your choice of toppings!

That's good!

BTW, Sorry to derail the original thread!

I made the same mistake, and once I realized it added a second packet of champagne yeast. It took 3 days to see any airlock activity, but its been going slow and steady for over a week now (1 bubble every 5 seconds). I used
2 packets champagne yeast
5 gallons cider
4 lbs corn sugar
2.5 tsp apple pectin
2.5 tsp yeast nutrient
A little cinnamon