The freshly squeezed fruit juice is a real delight. Not only is it rich in flavor but also in essential vitamins and nutrients. Whether you’re drinking a freshly squeezed glass of apple, orange, grape juice, or other more original combinations, such as avocado and radish, delicious juice is the ideal complement to a balanced diet. With the right juice extractor, it is easy to obtain excellent juice in terms of consistency, texture, and quality.
However, fresh fruit juices have a short shelf life, as short as their preparation time, which leads to a reduction in vitamin content. Proper storage of homemade fruit juice, therefore, requires a little extra work and thought. You need to know the maximum shelf life in the fridge and when to freeze it. Our handy guide helps you prepare the perfect juice and offers top tips for pasteurizing fruit juice for a delicious shot of vitamins!
How long does fresh juice keep?
Freshly squeezed juices are full of healthy vitamins. However, the juice of the fruit also comes into contact with oxygen during the pressing process. This contact creates oxidation that destroys at least some of the vitamins.
Even the way the juice is extracted affects the shelf life of the juice. If you juice your fruit with a steam juicer, many bacteria are killed thanks to the heat and the juice lasts longer, but vitamins and enzymes are also lost.
For the vitamins, it is better if the juices are extracted using a centrifugal juicer. The juices taste fresher somehow. The disadvantage: the juice comes into contact with a lot of oxygen. Rapid further processing is therefore advisable.
Fresh juice: Important note
The freshly extracted juice is best consumed within 24 hours. If the sweet drink is stored in a cool glass bottle at five to eight degrees, for example, you can still enjoy the juice after more than 72 hours without hesitation.
However, by this time he had already lost some of his vitamins. Green juices in particular quickly lose many vitamins. However, if the juice is left outside for a longer period of time or even at room temperature, a fermentation process begins very quickly.
There is a lot of sugar in fruit juices in particular, which is converted into alcohol by the air and the yeast fungi it contains. According to the juicer guide, apple juice “usually has an alcohol content of 0.05 percent. With other types of juice, it can even be up to 0.38 percent.”
How do you preserve juice?
The best way to preserve healthy fruit and vegetable drinks is pasteurization. In this process, the juice is heated to 72 degrees for about 20 minutes. This kills the bacteria and yeast that are otherwise responsible for mold growth and fermentation.
Stored in airtight bottles, the juice will keep for about a year. Juice expert Frank Nussbaum writes on his juice yield website that freezing is also a storage option.
Keeping fruit juice fresh starts with the perfect fruit juice
Before discovering how to store fresh fruit juice, you must first know how to make one! Many products exist on the market which is ideal for creating the perfect squeezed fruit juice. If you want to know which extractor to choose, we have you covered in this guide.
Extraction methods
There are two main types of juice:
- Steam extraction: this method uses steam to heat the fruit, eliminating the enzymes and concentrating the juice.
- Cold Press Extraction: This method uses a hydraulic press to extract juice from fruits and vegetables.
The juice obtained by cold pressing extraction has an obvious advantage. Indeed, when the fruit is heated with steam, it loses its vitamins and enzymes. Unlike the cold pressing method which retains all the nutritional qualities. And it is very easy to use: place the fruit in the juicer, turn it on and enjoy delicious freshly squeezed fruit juice. As simple as that!
Choose your juice extractor
When choosing your extractor, it is better to take a little time to explore the differences that exist between the models on the market. Each will have a different effect on the taste, consistency and nutrient content of your vitamin drink. In addition, they can influence the shelf life of homemade fruit juice. Our guide reveals the two most common juicers.
- The juicer: of course, you can use a manual mixer but it will take strength and time and the vitamin content will be reduced. A quality device like the one in the Philips Avance collection has a closed system that allows both to pour the juice directly into the glass or pitcher and to keep the juice cool. Very practical for the preparation and sterilization of apple juice for example!
- The juice extractor: as its name suggests, the extraction process is slow and gentle. But don’t worry, despite their slower rotation speed, juicers make fresh juice in no time. Slow? Not really. Soft? Certainly! And this is for the benefit of taste and a drink rich in vitamins. The Philips Viva Collection juicer has a unique design with its Quick clean technology that allows easy cleaning in 90 seconds. Its wide opening allows you to insert whole, peeled, and pitted fruits if necessary. The great thing about our Micromasticating juice extractor is that it extracts up to 90% of the nutrients from fruits and vegetables thanks to its innovative MicroMasticating† low-speed technology.
Preserving homemade fruit juice: how to preserve and store fresh fruit juice without losing its nutrients?
If you’re wondering how to store fresh fruit juice, look no further! Here we have the answers to the most common questions about storing homemade fruit juice.
How long can fresh fruit juice be stored?
Do you want to store freshly squeezed fruit juice without having to freeze it? It keeps in the refrigerator for 3 days. If you freeze it, you can store it for 12 to 16 months.
What is the best way to store fresh fruit juice?
It all depends on how long you want to keep it and if you want to retain its vitamins and nutrients. Storing homemade fruit juice in the refrigerator helps preserve vitamins better than storing it at room temperature. Storing fresh fruit juice in the freezer allows you to store it longer without really altering its vitamin and nutrient content.
How do I get more nutrients in my homemade fruit juice?
If you’re using fruits with edible skins, such as apples, you don’t need to peel them. The skin is rich in vitamins and nutrients which is perfect for freshly squeezed fruit juices. Keeping the skin on allows for better retention of vitamins as well as an increase in nutrient content right from the start.