Fruit juice processing
Practical Action
Filling and bottling
In all cases, the products should be hot-filled into clean, sterilised bottles. A stainless steel
bucket, drilled to accept a small outlet tap, is a very effective bottle filler. The output can be
doubled quite simply by fitting a second tap on the other side of the bucket. This system has
been used to produce 500-600 bottles of fruit juice per day in the West Indies.
After filling hot, the bottles are capped and laid on their sides to cool prior to labelling.
Quality control
The freshness and quality of the expressed fruit juice is central to the quality of the final
product. As soon as the juice is expressed from the fruit it starts to deteriorate, both as a result
of chemical activity (enzyme action) and bacterial spoilage. It is important to move from the
juice extraction stage to pasteurisation as quickly as possible to minimise any spoilage.
Extracted fruit juice that is left to stand for long periods in the heat will start to ferment and may
start to discolour due to enzyme activity. The juice should be stored in a refrigerator (if one is
available) or in a cool place and away from the direct sunlight. It should be collected into a
clean, sterile container (food grade plastic buckets is the best option) and covered to keep out
dirt, dust and insects. For the best quality product ,it is essential to work quickly between the
extraction of the juice and the bottling stage. The longer the juice is out of the bottles, the more
chance there is of contamination.
As in all food processing enterprises it is necessary to ensure that the fruit products are correctly
formulated and priced to meet the customer's requirements, and that production costs are
minimised to ensure that a profit is made. The quality of each day's production should be
monitored and controlled to ensure that every bottle of juice has the correct keeping and
drinking qualities. In particular the following points should be observed:
• Only fresh, fully ripe fruit should be used; mouldy or insect damaged fruit should be
thrown away. All unwanted parts (dirt, skins, stones etc) should be removed.
• All equipment, surfaces and floors should be thoroughly cleaned after each day's
production.
• Water quality is critical. If in doubt use boiled water or add one tablespoon of bleach to
5 litres of water to sterilise it. If water is cloudy, a water filter should be used.
• Pay particular attention to the quality of re-usable bottles, check for cracks, chips etc
and wash thoroughly before using. Always use new caps or lids.
• The concentration of preservative should be carefully controlled for correct preservation
of squashes and cordials, and may be subject to local laws. Check first and use
accurate scales to measure the preservative.
• The temperature and time of heating are critical for achieving both the correct shelf life
of the drink and retaining a good colour and flavour. A thermometer and clock are
therefore needed.
• The correct weight should be filled into the bottles each time.
These factors are important because a customer will stop buying the products if the quality
varies with each purchase.
The use of chemical preservatives in fruit juices and fruit drinks
As the name suggests, pure fruit juice is solely the extracted juice of fruit and should not have
any preservative, or any other ingredients (such as sugar) added.
Fruit drinks that are not consumed in one go can have preservatives added to help prolong the
shelf life once they have been opened.
There are several chemical preservatives that can be added to fruit juices. Processors need to
check with local authorities or standards agencies to find the maximum permitted levels.
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