Juicing is a process to rupture fruit cells and unlock the liquid essence within. Freshly squeezed juice has incredible rich flavors, but the rich flavors and bright colors will oxidize quickly, with the aromas and flavor compounds breaking down.

A dissected fruit turn brown quickly when exposed to the air. The same goes for fresh fruit juice. It release enzyme polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and tannins that brown the color and cause degradation. When fruit juices change color or taste different, they are likely to go bad or be oxidized. When in doubt, throw it away.

How to preserve fruit juice color and flavor in juicing?

Using the following tips in juicing, you can reduce the browning and oxidation of fruit juice, and lengthen its preservation time. You can use anyone of them or combine several methods together.

Chill the fruits before juicing

The activity of enzymes is restricted by temperatures. For every 10°C drop in temperature, enzymatic activity falls by about half. You can chill most fruits above 0°C before juicing. But never chill subtropical fruits like bananas, mangoes, and strawberries, which may destroy their quality.

Although Deep-freezing can destroy browning enzymes, it will affect the flavor-generating enzymes. If you have frozen the fruits, thaw them before juicing.

Dip the fruits in hot water before juicing

Dip the fruits in boiling water for a while can destroy browning enzymes, and soften the fruit tissues. But the boiling water will cook the fruits partially.

Remove the fruit pulps (optional)

Although some people like pulps in the fruit juice, they contains enzymes that accelerate the browning of fruits.

Lower the PH of fruit juice

The more acidic the fruit juice, the lower the activity of enzymes. High acidity also act directly on brown pigment to lighten their color.

Vacuum sealing

Although some oxygen has dissolved in the juice itself, vacuum sealing can slow down oxidation by preventing air contact.

Use natural preservatives

Ingredients like Vitamin C, citric acid, malic acid, and honey can prevent browning, while essential oil, Vitamin E, and a little fresh juice from a different batch can preserve flavor.

It’s better to drink up the fresh fruit juice right after juice extracting. But some people don't have time to squeeze fresh fruit juice every day. They want to store it to drink later. Then, how to store fruit juice to preserve its color and taste?

How long does fresh fruit juice last?

The preservation time of fruit juice is mainly affected by 3 factors:

The acidity of juice

The higher the acidity of fruit juice, the longer it can be preserved. For example, citrus juice and grape juice tend to last longer, while apple juice and peach juice tend to oxidize quickly.

Storage environment

Fruit juice lasts the shortest time in room temperature and uncovered. In sealed container and cold storage it can last longer.

Fruit juicer types

The fruit cells are ruptured to different degrees by different juicers, so the oxidation speed is different. Usually, juice made by low rpm style juicer last longer than that made of centrifugal juicer.

How to preserve fruit juice to make it last longer?

Suitable container materials

Glass container is the best to store fruit juice, such as wide mouth mason jar, amber jars or glass bottles. A wide mouth jar make it easy to clean juice stains.

Stainless steel water bottles are also good choice. But plastic bottles have the risk of leaching toxins into the fruit juice being stored.

Besides, you’d better choose a small container that allows you to drink up the fruit juice at once, with no need to seal it again.

Seal tightly to prevent air

Air is one of the major factors that cause fruit juice degradation. After you have extracted the fruit juice, fill it into the container at once. Be sure to fill it to the brim or even overfill it a little, then put on the lids on the container. This method can minimize the air contained in the juice bottle.

Also, you can use professional vacuum filling device or a hand-operated vacuum sealer to remove the air from the juice container.

Cold storage or Freeze

After you fill the fruit juice into glass containers and sealed, store it in fridge. Low temperature make the fruit juice last longer. Acidic juice can last for 3-5 days in the fridge, while low-acidic juice can last less than 2 days.

People usually freeze apple cider into ice and preserve for long time. It is not a good way because freezing cause more flavor loss, but you can prevent it going bad at least.

For freezing, don’t fill up the container to allow room for expansion. Leave 0.5 inch at the top. Thaw them in the refrigerator and drink up at once.

Increase the acidity of fruit juice

High acidity can improve the stability of fruit juice. The vitamin C and antioxidant in citrus juice can slow down degradation. Add some lemon juice into your fruit juice to increase the acid content.

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