When you buy fruit juice from the supermarket, most of them is pasteurized juice. Pasteurizing is a process that kills harmful bacteria from the juice we extract from fruits.
If you make juice at home, you may know that sometimes unpasteurized juice may not be safe and could be a health risk. Pasteurization is a process that does not affect the flavor of the fruit juice or nutrition value. In this article, we will elaborately discuss how to pasteurize juice at home.
Heating To Make Pasteurize Juice: How To Pasteurize Juice At Home
Raw juice may carry some bacteria like E. Coli. So there is a possibility to become sick if you take raw juice directly without pasteurizing. If it’s mentioned in the bottle that the juice is already pasteurized, then it is safe to drink.
1. Pour The Raw Juice Into A Large Pot
Take a clean and large pot, which is large enough to hold the juice with some extra room on the top for bubbling. Pour the juice into the large pot. Then place the pot over the stove.
2. Heat The Juice
Turn on your stove and heat the mixture over high heat. It would be best if you always kept an eye on the juice when it is heating. Stir the juice. You can also use a double boiler in this step.
3. Check The Temperature
In this way, juice needs to reach 160-degree Fahrenheit (71 degrees Celsius) temperature. When the heat is reached 71-degree Celsius, then there is no need to boil it. You can use a candy thermometer to measure the temperature. Please don’t touch the side of the pan with the thermometer cause it may give you a false reading. Check once when it starts simmering.
All we need is to stay at that temperature for about a minute. Most of the bacteria get killed at 158 degrees Fahrenheit temperature. Keep in mind maintaining the optimum temperature is essential. If the effective pasteurization temperature drips is lower at any stage of the process, the juice will not pasteurize properly.
Now, it is time to stop your burner. Wait for some time to cool the juice.
4. Cooling The Pasteurize Juice.
You cannot drink pasteurized juice when it is warm. You should not directly keep the pasteurize juice in the refrigerator also. So you have to cool it naturally before drinking or storing it in the fridge.
Firstly, place the juice pot into a large bowl with cold water. Don’t submerge the jar fully. Add ice in the water for cooling it down and bring the water temperature. After some time, the water temperature will go down. Place a thermometer to examine the temperature.
When the water temperature goes down to 40 degrees Fahrenheit, the cooling process is over. Ensure the temperature of water, juice pot, and juice is the same. You may add more ice to make the process faster.
Now, remove the pasteurize juice pot from cold water. Then place it into a large towel. Wait for some time to dry the outer area of the jar.
Preparing Jars for Juice
Before pasteurizing your juices, you need some early preparation. Firstly you have to think about sterilization or preservation of your juices.
1. Wash The Jars
You may use a glass jar or mason jars, which can easily be sterilized. Washing is the first step to prepare jars. Wash the pots in hot water and soap. Then rinse them to clean and prepare for the sterilization process.
2. Boil The Jars
A water bath canner could be a good option here. Put the jar in the canner. You can also use a large pot. Fill the pot with water and submerge the jars. Place the canner or pot over high heat and wait until the water starts boiling.
When you see the steams are coming out from the pots, cover the pot with lits and boil for 15 minutes. Now you can turn off the heat. Keep the jars in hot water so that they keep warm. Please note that if the jars have a lid, they need to be boiled for 5 minutes.
When you use a pot, a rack can help to pull the jar.
You can also use tongs but make sure the tong is sterilized, too.
3. Use Tongs To Pull Jars Out
When you boil the jar with water for fifteen minutes, it becomes very hot. For this reason, you have to use a tong to pull the pots from boiling water. Pull the jars and lids from hot water with the tongs and place them on the towel upside down to drip water. Now you can fill those jars with juice.
4. Pour The Juice In:
Pour the hot juice into the jars. But, make sure those jars are hot, too, or they could break while pouring the hot juice. Now screw the clean lids on the jars to preserve the pasteurization. It is always recommended not to cool down the juice before you pour it into the jars; otherwise, the juice will lose shelf life.
FAQ’S
- How Long Does Pasteurized Juice Last?
When your juice becomes cold, then it is ready to drink. Now you pour the juice into a glass jar or mason jar before drinking it or serving it. You may also store the juice in the refrigerator. When you keep it in the fridge, you may use the juice for fifteen days.
- Can I Use A Plastic Bottle To Pasteurize Juice?
To pasteurize juice, you need to use a glass jar, which is highly recommended. Using a plastic bottle to preserve pasteurize juice contains health risk. But you can use a plastic bottle when the juice is cool.
- Can Fresh Apple Juice Be Pasteurized In A Microwave Oven?
Temperature plays an important role when you try to make pasteurize juice. If you use a microwave, the required temperature can be achieved, but it will be nearly impossible to control the desired temperature. There is a high possibility you may overheat the microwave, which will ruin the juice flavor.
Conclusion
Pasteurize juice includes multiple steps, but the process is not hard. Pasteurizing is a safe way to drink, and this process will deliver good qualities of color, taste, and shelf life.
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