Do you have to pasteurize apple juice?
Freshly pressed apple juice, also known as raw juice, only keeps for a few days in the refrigerator and should therefore be frozen or pasteurized as soon as possible.
Pasteurization is a way to ensure a longer shelf life of apple juice and to make it safe to drink.
During pasteurization, the juice is heated to 78 - 82 degrees, which kills all yeast and bacteria. The juice can then be tapped directly into bag-in-box, bottles or jars with a secure lid.
The temperature at pasteurization is a gentle heat treatment, which means that taste, color and vitamins are preserved.
The most convenient way to store pasteurized apple juice is to use bag-in-box or pouch-up packaging. In these cases, the pasteurized juice will keep in an unopened bag for at least one year, often even longer. Once the package is opened, it can be stored even at room temperature for about a month.
Can you store unpasteurized apple juice?
It is also possible to store freshly pressed, unpasteurized juice under pressure in a 50-liter pressure vessel, also known as a pressure cask. For this you also need a gas cylinder with CO2 and a regulator, which are connected to the pressure vessel. With carbon dioxide, a pressure of 10 bar is created in the cask, which prevents the fermentation process. Read more
How to pasteurize apple juice?
You can pasteurize juice on the stove in a regular large saucepan, but this method requires multiple batches and quite a bit of time if there is a lot of juice.
Large volumes of juice are very convenient to pasteurize in a special 65-, 110- or 170-liter vessel with an immersion heater. The vessel is filled with freshly pressed juice, then the immersion heater is lowered into the vessel. The immersion heater heats the juice to the required temperature. During the pasteurization process, the temperature at the bottom is higher and at the surface it is lower. Therefore, it is important to stir the juice and at the same time check the temperature with a thermometer that is included.
The vessel has a tap and after pasteurization the juice can be tapped directly into bag-in-box, bottles or jars.
It is also possible to store pasteurized juice in a pasteurization vessel! Read more.
Here are some additional tips for pasteurizing apple juice:
- Use a clean and sanitized container.
- Heat the juice to 78 - 82 degrees Celsius.
- Hold the juice at that temperature for 10 minutes.
- Cool the juice quickly.
- Store the juice in a cool, dark place.
