Glossary · Chemistry
Methanol
Definition
A toxic alcohol produced in small amounts when pectin is de-methylated, so that cider naturally contains a trace of it. Levels in cider are far below any toxic threshold.
- Subject
- Chemistry
In more detail
Because methanol comes from pectin, heavy pectinase use and long maceration raise it slightly. The quantities remain small — of the order of tens of milligrams per litre — and the persistent claim that home-made cider is dangerous because of methanol is not supported: the hazard arises in distillation, where the fraction can be concentrated, not in fermentation.
Where this is covered properly
The glossary defines; these pages explain. Each is described in its own words.
Related terms
Terms that belong to the same part of the subject, or that this one is routinely confused with.
Chemistry
Pectin
A structural polysaccharide of fruit cell walls, released into juice during milling and pressing. It thickens juice, holds haze in suspension and is the raw material of the keeving cap.
Chemistry
Pectic enzyme
A commercial enzyme preparation, usually fungal, that depolymerises pectin so that juice clarifies, presses more freely and yields more.
Chemistry
Ethanol
The alcohol produced by fermentation and the compound that alcohol by volume measures. It contributes sweetness, warmth and body as well as intoxication.
Cider
Cider brandy
A spirit distilled from cider, aged in wood or sold unaged. Calvados is the protected French form; England, the United States and Spain each have their own traditions.
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.
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.
European Food Safety Authority scientific opinions
EFSA · regulator · retrieved 2026-08-24
Registered for the food-safety questions cider genuinely raises: patulin in juice from rotten fruit, sulphite sensitivity, and the toxicology behind additive limits.