Lime juice clear cordial
Practical Action
Clarified lime juice and boiling hot syrup are then mixed together in the ratio of 72 parts lime
juice to 100 parts sugar syrup. As the product is acid, only a stainless steel pan should be
used. The actual quantities taken will naturally depend upon the size of pan available. The
product is then heated to 80ºC and a few drops of food grade green colouring are added at this
point.
The hot lime cordial should be filled into clean steam sterilised screw cap bottles. The use of
good quality lacquered or plastic caps is essential due to the high acidity of the product, cheap
caps will be found to corrode within a relatively short time. A small capping machine can be
manufactured locally.
The hot, capped bottles should be allowed to cool. Forced cooling, with cold water, is
preferable to simple air cooling as it reduces flavour changes.
The final product may now be labelled.
Equipment required
Heavy duty scales
Small balance (sensitive to 1g)
Juice racking system
Large pan
Stainless steel pan
Gas ring
Muslin
Stainless or wood stirrer
Thermometer (in protective jacket)
Refractometer (optional but useful if production increases)
Green food colouring
Calcium carbonate
Sodium metabisulphite
References and further reading
Practical Action Technical Briefs (Juices)
Mixed fruit juice manufacture
Lime juice –small scale production
Lime cordial
Nas naran lime juice
Passion fruit juice
Lime Marmalade, Practical Action Technical Brief
Lime Oil & Juice, Practical Action Technical Brief
Pickled dry salted lime, Practical Action Technical Brief
Small-scale processing of ready to drink pineapple juice. Food Chain No 27
Principles and practices of small and medium-scale fruit juice processing. FAO Agricultural
Services Bulletin 146, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), (2001).
Technical manual on small-scale processing of fruits and vegetables, Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Setting up and Running a Small Fruit or Vegetable Processing Enterprise: Opportunities in Food
Processing CTA
Starting a Small Food Processing Enterprise by Peter Fellows, Ernesto Franco & Walter Rios
Practical Action Publishing/CTA 1996
Small Scale Food Processing 2nd Ed. P Fellows & S Azam Ali, Practical Action Publishing, 2003
Fruit and Vegetable Processing UNIFEM Practical Action Publishing, 1993
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