Filtering unfermented juices?

I tried a couple searches and came up empty-handed. I can't IMAGINE this hasn't been discussed before, though... so feel free to point me towards any pre-existing threads I missed.

From another thread I started here, I've been learning about fining and filtering the finished ciders I make. NOW, I need to learn about how to deal with the pulp I'm finding in some of the "raw materials" I want to ferment.

Two of the recent offenders I've been working with are peach nectar and pineapple juice. They both have a HUGE amount of included pulp. As an example, I'm fermenting a gallong of peach nectar as a "see what I get" experiment, and I can tell from looking at the jug I'm going to lose somewhere between 1/4 to 1/3 of the batch to "trub" losses. Compared to the tight, small trub layers we get from fermenting store-bought juices, this is a real bummer.

Any suggestions on how to filter this stuff out? The kitchen staple "wire strainer" doesn't catch any of it, using an Aeropress filter (basically the filter paper we used in chemistry class) is MUCH too fine and clogs after only an ounce or so is filtered. I bet this stuff would wreak havoc on even the most coarse of the 10" filtering systems we consider using for post-fermentation clarifying. I've thought about cheesecloth, or the finer-woven BIAB bags, or even old-school coffee filters. But, before I let my inner MacGyver go completely out of control, I thought it prudent to poll the scholarly masses here to see what they had to say.

Thanks!

Pectic enzyme?

Maylar said:

Pectic enzyme?

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Interestingly enough, a question going through my mind for a different reason was "would pectic enzyme clear a cloudy juice without fermentation being present to move the juice around?"

BUT, in this case, before I can even worry about the cloudliness caused by pectins, I have to figure out how to deal with this pulp. This is way more than pectin: it's the straight up pulp, the tiny chunks of actual fruit that come along for the ride with the juice.

Ike said:

Interestingly enough, a question going through my mind for a different reason was "would pectic enzyme clear a cloudy juice without fermentation being present to move the juice around?"....

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Yes it will. It is best practice to add the pectic enzyme before adding the yeast and let it work for 12 hours or so. I just add it at the same as the yeast and never had any issues with it not working. You don't want to add pectic enzyme after fermentation as the enzymes are less effective in the presence of alcohol. You also do not want to refrigerate the juice, it will slow the enzyme reaction.

Ike said:

...BUT, in this case, before I can even worry about the cloudliness caused by pectins, I have to figure out how to deal with this pulp. This is way more than pectin: it's the straight up pulp, the tiny chunks of actual fruit that come along for the ride with the juice.

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Fresh pressed apple cider from the orchard has a crap ton of solids in it. I don't know if you can call it pulp, but adding pectic enzyme to fresh pressed cider will clear it and all the solids will sink to the bottom of the container. If it does the same with peach and pineapple, then all you have to do is rack the clear juice off the solids just like you would rack off of lees.

It can't hurt to try the pectic enzyme. It is a lot easier and cheaper than trying to set up a filter system.

Ike said:

Interestingly enough, a question going through my mind for a different reason was "would pectic enzyme clear a cloudy juice without fermentation being present to move the juice around?"

BUT, in this case, before I can even worry about the cloudliness caused by pectins, I have to figure out how to deal with this pulp. This is way more than pectin: it's the straight up pulp, the tiny chunks of actual fruit that come along for the ride with the juice.

Click to expand...

OK. If you're talking about orange pulp or something like that, then I'd probably line a stainless strainer pot with cheesecloth. Everybody has one of those for cooking spaghetti, right?

I recently
Used a juicer for he first time over Apple pressing.
So much foam!!! So much particulate.

I've heard of one gal running the gunk through blender and then through fine mess strainer or few layers of cheesecloth. I've found a mesh strainer is easy to scrape clean, cheesecloth isn't. It get right into the fibres.

Definitely add pectin enzymes before ferment. I did and was surprised how different it looked in am. Clear!!!! All the gunk ended up at the top like a krausen. You can scrape it off.

It also helps to just let the juice settle for a while (hour plus) and pour off clean juice. Foam tends to congeal on top.

Sounds like we have some consensus, here. I think I'll try a side-by-side of my BIAB bag and some cheesecloth inside a collander.

ACTUALLY, let's do a three-way (giggity) test, the third will be no straining and just adding some pectic enzyme to see how it does on its own.

Depending on how the straining goes, I will probably treat THOSE tests with pectic enzyme after straining to see how a two-step process does.

Thanks to all!

I use 5 gallon paint strainers from the home store. Two for 5$. I line a stainless strainer with one and pour the juice through it, and it strains out a large portion of the pulp/lees going into the fermenter. There will still be a layer of very fine, dust like sediment left at the end, but if you use gelatin or a two-part fining agent and cold crash 3 or 4 days, the sediment will almost "stick" to the fermenter and not move into the bottling bucket. The last 5-1/2 gallon batch I made gave me 4 gallons of crystal clear cider and I had to strain out the last 1-1/2 gallons of the batch, and got around 3/4 of a gallon of usable cider.

I'm wondering if straining out solids will change the flavor/character of the fermented product? I suppose the only way to find out is a side by side test.

This works great.
We normally use two filters. This and then a bout 3-4 layers of cheesecloth.

Our pressed juice has hardly any lees. Juicing on the other hand.....

https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-8-Inch-Strainer/dp/B00004OCLX

SO, I was messing with pineapple juice and Jumex peach nectar. In both cases, lining a funnel with cheesecloth or my BIAB bag worked too well: they clogged up almost immediately, and trying to move the bag/cloth around to get unclogged fabric in play was a huge mess.

What actually seemed to work best: I sanitized my BIAB bag, then fed it into the fermenter (a narrow necked 1 gallon bottle). I then funneled the juices into it, and the SLOWLY removed the bag. It took a few minutes, long enough that I was afraid I wouldn't get the bag back out, but as I pulled the bag out it helped squeeze the juice through the pulp and bag, leaving relatively clear juice behind. I've fermented it and it's settling quite clear with none of the floating trub I was dealing with in unfiltered peach nectar.

I imagine the same thing will work with bigger batches, but I'll probably stick to something with a wider mouth, like a BBB or Fermonster. Trying to get five gallons' worth of pulp out of the neck of a traditional carboy while trapped in a BIAB bag would be problematic.