Glossary · Faults
Framboise
French. Kept in its own language here rather than translated into the nearest English word, because the nearest English word is usually cut on a different axis.
Also written raspberry taint, framboisé. Each is a name for the same thing, which is why none of them has an entry of its own.
Definition
A spoilage disorder in which lactic acid bacteria acting on phenolic compounds produce a strong raspberry-like aroma alongside a characteristic haze and loss of colour.
- Subject
- Faults
- Language
- French
- Also written
- raspberry taint, framboisé
In more detail
The name records what it smells like rather than what causes it. It occurs in ciders with substantial phenolic content and a high pH, most often where fermentation was slow or stuck, and the raspberry note is accompanied by a flattening of the fruit character and a dull, hazy appearance.
It is not correctable. Prevention is the usual list: sound fruit, a lower pH, an adequate sulphite regime and a ferment that does not stall.
Where this is covered properly
The glossary defines; these pages explain. Each is described in its own words.
Fault
Framboise
A raspberry-and-rotten-fruit character with sulphurous overtones, produced by *Zymomonas mobilis* in sweet ciders that still contain sugar.
Microbiology
Lactobacillus collinoides
A lactic acid bacterium first described from cider, and the organism most closely associated with acrolein bitterness through its conversion of glycerol.
Related terms
Terms that belong to the same part of the subject, or that this one is routinely confused with.
Microbiology
Lactic acid bacteria
The bacteria that convert malic acid to lactic acid and, in other conditions, produce the disorders of ropiness, mousiness and acrolein bitterness. *Oenococcus*, *Lactiplantibacillus* and *Lactobacillus* species dominate in cider.
Faults
Ropiness
A texture fault in which the cider becomes viscous and pours in an oily rope, caused by lactic acid bacteria producing extracellular glucan polysaccharide.
Faults
Cider sickness
The historic name for a spoilage disorder of low-acid cider in which the drink turns turbid, loses colour, throws a deposit, produces gas and develops a milky, sometimes raspberry-like character.
Chemistry
pH
A logarithmic measure of hydrogen ion activity, and in cider the single most important number for microbial safety. Apple juice usually falls between pH 3.2 and 3.9.
Chemistry
Polyphenol
The broad class of plant compounds carrying multiple phenol rings. In apples this includes procyanidins, hydroxycinnamic acids such as chlorogenic acid, flavonols, dihydrochalcones such as phloridzin, and anthocyanins in red-fleshed fruit.
Where to go next
- Cider glossary — The whole vocabulary, by subject and A–Z.
- Comparisons — Terms that are only really clear when set against the thing they are not.
- Search — Finds terms by their aliases and by their spellings in other languages.
Sources
What this page rests on. Where a source is marked as registered rather than read, CiderHQ is recording that the body is authoritative on the subject without claiming to have worked through the document itself. See our evidence policy for what each state means.
Peer-reviewed literature on cider fermentation microbiology
Various journals · peer-reviewed literature · registered as competent for this subject
Covers the microbial succession of spontaneous cider fermentation, the role of non-Saccharomyces yeasts in the early stages, malolactic conversion by Oenococcus and Lactobacillus species, and the organisms behind the principal spoilage faults.
The Science of Cidermaking and associated technical writing
Andrew Lea · reference work · passage verified 2026-08-24
Written by a food chemist who worked at Long Ashton on apple phenolics. Unusual among specialist cider writing in that it is primary-research-adjacent: the author is describing work he did, and cites the literature. This is why it is registered at tier 1 for chemistry while a general cider book is not.