Fresh pressed juice but cooked to death

“FRESH PRESSED”: In my opinon, this is one of the most misleading marketing terms. Take a look in the supermarkets and read the labels. The words are on almost all juices; freshly pressed. All right, it’s true, the juices are freshly pressed. However, after pressing, the juices are pasteurized. And that makes them less fresh than you might imagine.

But the label doesn’t mention this. And in my view, this is misleading, which is not even necessary! Nowadays, fresh can really be fresh! There are several technologies to serve the customer a fresh and tasty juice which also has a long shelf life.

Fresh with a prolonged shelf life

Are you already familiar with the mild pasteurization technologies such as High Pressure Processing (HPP) and Pulsed Electric Field (PEF)? These are mild pasteurization technologies. Applying the technology on a fresh juice, the taste, structure and color of the juice remain optimal. HPP uses high pressure technology. The fresh juice is treated in the final packaging and there is hardly any heat load on the product. The fresh taste and important nutrients such as vitamins and minerals are perfectly preserved. Even the color remains clear and bright. Your customer will actually see and experience the taste of a fresh juice.

Another technology making use of electrical pulses is the so called Pulsed Electric Field (PEF). This technology destroys the cell membranes of bacteria, fungi and yeasts. The heat load is, just like with HPP, minimal so that the fresh qualities are preserved. An extra advantage of PEF is that it is a continuous system, whereas HPP is optimal for treating juices in a batch process. PEF is therefore a logical choice for liquids such as fruit juices and vegetable juices.

Can we help you?

TOP bv has a lot of experience with both technologies. Do you want to offer your customers a really fresh juice from now on? Or do you have other tasty products that you want to offer like fresh? We are your partner. Contact us for more information and we will be happy to discuss the options for supporting your product. Visit our website top-bv.nl or mail to .

 

Myriam Knopf
Projectleider Food and Technology