To enjoy juice flavors for days, it’s ideal to make and bottle it at home. Here are some best practices to keep your juice fresh and delicious.
Bottling and Storage
- Use non-plastic, airtight containers since plastic is not airtight and can contain harmful chemicals.
- Adding vinegar, honey or vitamin C can prevent browning and preserve flavor.
- Canning juice can extend its shelf-life to 1-2 years.
- Heat filtered juice to 60-70°C (140-158°F) for 15 minutes to kill bacteria, then scoop out the floating coagulated material.
- To avoid fizziness, consider adding a small amount of sugar.
Juice can be frozen for convenience. Freeze apple juice in cartons, allowing space for expansion. Refrigerated bottled juice typically keeps well for about 7-10 days once opened, while unopened juice can last up to 12 months. Cold pressed juice has a shorter shelf life, remaining fresh for 3-5 days in the refrigerator.
Making Lemon Juice
- Start with quality ingredients and clean them properly.
- Glass bottles are preferable for packaging.
- Heat filtered lemon juice to 165°F (74°C) for 15 minutes, then remove any coagulated solids.
- Carefully pour the hot juice into bottles, leaving some headspace, and then seal the bottles.
- Process the bottles in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
- After cooling, refrigerated lemon juice can last up to one year.
- Lemon juice can be added to water for a healthy, refreshing drink.
Juice Processing and Technology
- Choose the right juicing equipment based on the fruit type.
- Mix fruit juice concentrate with water and other ingredients to obtain the finished juice.
- Juices can be produced without artificial preservatives and maintain safety if consumed within their expiration.
- For sterilization, fill the juice into presterilized containers and seal while hot.
- New Bulk technology allows for efficient juice processing in bulk before bottling.
- The juice filling machine follows a hot filling process, which ensures rapid filling and dependable capping.
The entire juice processing method includes selecting high-quality fruits, cleaning, juice extraction, clarification, filtration, and homogenization. Concentrated juice offers a practical solution for long shelf life and space-saving. Juice yield can vary depending on the fruit weight and season.