Cider Lees: An Interest Resource From the Cidermaking Industry

Lees are an important waste product of the cidermaking industry. In this paper, nutritional, functional and microbiological characterization of cider lees, from two consecutive years, is described. Total dietary fiber (61.3%), protein (19.4%) and total fat (4.7%) were the major components from a functional and nutritional point of view. Among the fatty acids analyzed, linoleic acid was the major unsaturated one (31.2%) and palmitic acid was the major saturated fatty acid (27.9%). Other interesting constituents of lees were squalene (2.19 mg/g), extractable polyphenols (17.5 mg/g), hydrolysable tannins in insoluble dietary fibre (92.9 mg/g) and total phenolic content in soluble fibre (48.4 mg/g). From a microbiological point of view, the presence of lactic acid bacteria makes lees an important source of micro-organisms with potential interest in biotechnological applications.