How to store fresh juice For Maximum Freshness

In the last few years, there has been a rise in the juicing trend. The benefits of juicing fruits and vegetables have been promoted by numerous health influencers. Juicing has been used as a means of increasing nutrient intake and enhancing weight loss attempts.  The problem with juicing is that it is time-consuming and may not be convenient for busier individuals. Immediately you juice your fruits and vegetables, you need to drink them to benefit from the nutrients in the juice.

Once fruits and vegetables are juiced, oxidation could cause vitamins A, C and E to deteriorate.
There are a few ways you can store fresh juice for later consumption especially if you are juice fasting. Below are a few methods for storing fresh juice:

How to Store Fresh Juice for Maximum Freshness

1. Refrigerate the juice: After you juice your fruits and vegetables, you can store fresh juice in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. To ensure that the juice remains fresh, use a masticating juicer. Using a masticating juicer will ensure that heat from the blades does not cause the quality of the juice to deteriorate before you can put it in the refrigerator.

Below are the steps for storing your juice in the refrigerator.
– Juice the fruits and vegetables
– Put the juice inside a glass container and fill it to the brim
– If the juice is not enough to fill the jar, add some purified water to the juice and close the jar tightly. Ensure that there is no air in the jar, this will reduce the chances of oxidation occurring.
– Write down the date when you made the juice and keep the juice in the refrigerator.
– Consume the juice in 24 hours. If you used a masticating juicer, the juice can stay fresh for up to 3 days.

2. Freeze the juice: Most juicing experts do not recommend freezing fresh juice. However, if you are juice fasting or just busy, this is the last resort. Frozen juice can stay good for a few months but it is best to freeze enough juice for 1 week at a time. This is a great strategy for storing juice gotten from seasonal fruits. Importantly, freezing juice can alter the taste of the juice. Below are the steps you should follow to freeze your fresh juice.
– Juice your fruits and vegetables
– Pour the juice into glass jars and leave a little space to allow for expansion while in the freezer. If there is no space, the glass could break while in the freezer.
– Chill the juice and after it is cold, put the jars in the freezer.

3. Use extra citrus: Juicing experts recommend that you add extra citrus fruits to preserve the quality of the fruit juice. Also, ingredients such as vitamin C and honey can be added to make the juice stay fresh for a longer period.

Recommended: Pros & Cons of Juicing

Tips for storing fresh juice

Using the methods listed above can help you store your fresh juice until you are ready to consume it. However, these methods can be made easier by applying the tips listed below.

1. Juice cold fruits and vegetables: Juicing fruits and vegetables with a centrifugal juicer could cause degradation of the nutrients in the juice. The heat of the blades will have less impact on the fruits if you start by juicing cold fruits and vegetables.

2. Use a vacuum sealing machine or a mason jar sealer: To ensure that your juice stays fresh while in the refrigerator, ensure that there is no air in the glass jar. Using any of the machines listed above will help you get rid of air in the container where you are storing the juice. Immediately after sealing the container, put the container in the refrigerator.

3. Use organic products: Organic products are nutritionally rich without the chemicals from fertilizers and pesticides.

4. Avoid plastic containers: Plastic containers may seem like the obvious choice when it comes to storing juice but plastic bottles are not the best choice.  This is because some plastic containers are not food safe and others may not be airtight.

5. Remove the pulp from the juice: This is especially important if you use a juicer that allows a lot of pulp into the juice. Remove the pulp to prevent the browning caused by the fibres in the juice.

6. Ensure that your refrigerator and freezer have constant power supply: Fluctuations in temperature can cause freshly pressed juice to go bad faster. Without consistent temperature, the juice in the freezer could melt and solidify multiple time before you are ready to use the juice. This could make the juice taste bad and could lead to the degradation of the nutrients within the juice.

7. Label your jars: The best way to ensure the juice you are drinking is fresh is to drink it as soon as you make it. While this may not be possible, you should consume stored juice within a specific timeframe to get the benefits of juicing. After pouring your juice into a glass jar, attach a label to the jar. On the label, state when the juice was made and also write down the ‘consume by’ date. This will help you consume your juice while it is still considered fresh. In the case of frozen juice, you can write down how soon or when you would like to consume the juice.

8. Defrost frozen juice in the refrigerator or at room temperature: After going through all these steps to keep your juice fresh for later consumption, DO NOT defrost the juice in hot water or a microwave. Leave the juice to thaw in the refrigerator overnight or on your counter for a few hours.

If your stored juice begins to change color and smells bad, do not consume it.

In conclusion, the methods and tips listed above can help you store your fresh juice successfully. However, the best way to enjoy fresh juice is to drink the juice immediately after juicing the produce.