Apples are one of the oldest, most nutritious foods on earth. After all, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away." They are rich in potassium, a mineral that nourishes your body's soft tissues, keeping your flesh and arteries healthy and resilient. Aware of the health benefits of apples, in 1912 Paul C. Bragg developed Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar and was a pioneer in modern healthy living.
Fermentation
Apple cider vinegar is made using a two-step fermenting process. Allowing apple juice to ferment into hard apple cider followed by a second fermentation beyond the sweet stage and the dry cider stage, results in apple cider vinegar. All the nutrition of the apples plus the extra acids and enzymes produced during the two fermentation steps give apple cider vinegar its amazing health benefits.
Identification
Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar is made from fresh, crushed, organically grown, whole, non-GMO apples that are cold pressed without adding chemicals or preservatives and allowed to mature in wooden barrels. It is not pasteurized because the heating process intended to kill bacteria will also destroy valuable health-giving nutrients and enzymes. Because the acidity in vinegar kills E. coli bacteria, pasteurization is not required.
The "Mother"
While it is fermenting the second time, a dark, cloudy, jelly-like substance called the "mother" forms from the pectin and apple residues. The mother is the most nutritious part of the apple cider vinegar. It often settles at the bottom of the bottle and its presence shows you that the best part of the apple remains. If you shake the bottle lightly, you can distribute the mother before pouring. Some companies strain off the mother, but not Bragg's. They brag that their organic, raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar includes the strand-like enzymes of connected protein molecules.
Considerations
Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar doesn't look like many of the other commercial apple cider vinegars that have been pasteurized, filtered, refined or distilled in order to make them look more appealing. This extra processing removes the mother and destroys the healthy goodness.
Features
Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar does not need to be refrigerated, but should be kept out of direct sunlight in a cool place. The FDA required "official" shelf life is 3 to 5 years after the bottling date, which is printed on the label. Experience has shown, however, due to the nature of the product, that it stays safe and effective indefinitely if kept out of direct sunlight. There are many uses for Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar. You can take it as a cocktail, with honey and water or use it to add zesty flavor to salads, vegetables and many other recipes.
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