Apple juice is afruit juice made by themaceration andpressing of anapple. The resulting expelled juice may be further treated by enzymatic and centrifugal clarification to remove thestarch andpectin, which holds fine particulate in suspension, and thenpasteurized for packaging in glass, metal, oraseptic processing system containers, or further treated by dehydration processes to aconcentrate.
Due to the complex and costly equipment required to extract and clarify juice from apples in large volume, apple juice is normally produced commercially. In theUnited States, unfiltered fresh apple juice is made by smaller operations in areas of high apple production, in the form of unclarifiedapple cider. Apple juice is one of the most common fruit juices globally, with world production led byChina,Poland, the United States, andGermany.[1]
Apples used for apple juice are usually harvested between September and mid-November in the Northern Hemisphere and between February and mid-April in the Southern Hemisphere. A common cultivar used for apple juice is theMcIntosh. Approximately two medium McIntosh apples produce around 200 millilitres (7.0 imp fl oz; 6.8 US fl oz) of juice. After the apples are picked, they are washed and transported to the processing facility. The apples are then pressed and juiced right away to avoidspoilage.[2] Depending on the company and end-product, the apples can be processed in different ways before pressing. Apple juice is then filtered, with the number of solid particles remaining partly defining the difference between apple juice andapple cider. In cases where the apple juice is treated enzymatically, the typical class of enzymes used arepectinases.[3]
Because apple juice is acidic, typically with a pH of 3.4, it can bepasteurized for less time or at lower temperatures than many other juices. For this purpose, the U.S.Food and Drug Administration recommends the following thermal processing times and temperatures in order to achieve a five-log reduction ofCryptosporidium parvum as this parasite is more heat resistant thanE. coli 0157:[4]
From 2000 to 2010, there were over 1700 cases in North America of illnesses related to drinking unpasteurized juice and ciders. The pathogens related to these food-borne illnesses included parasites, bacteria, and viruses. The most common pathogens wereE. coli 0157 and 0111,Salmonella,Cryptosporidium,Clostridium botulinum, andhepatitis A. Pathogens can be spread in a number of ways, such as contamination where the fruit is grown, being carried in contaminated containers, or due to poor handling and washing.[5]
Apple juice is 88% water and 11%carbohydrates (including 10% sugars), with negligible content ofprotein orfat.[6] A 100 ml reference amount of unsweetened apple juice supplies 46calories and no significant content of anymicronutrients.[6]
Fresh apple juice requires refrigeration. Sealed bottles ofcanned apple juice can be stored in a dark, cool place, such as a pantry or cupboard, to delay the degradation of the product.[7] The appearance, texture, or taste of the juice might change over time.
Once the juice package is opened, or if it was not sealed and shipped without needing refrigeration by the manufacturer, it must be resealed tightly and refrigerated to avoid contamination from microorganisms such as bacteria.[8] The ideal storage temperature for apple juice is between 0 °C (32 °F) and 4 °C (39 °F).[citation needed]
Whileapple juice generally refers to the filtered, pasteurised product of apple pressing, an unfiltered and sometimes unpasteurized version of the juice is commonly known as "apple cider" in the United States and parts of Canada. Seeking to capitalize on this, some makers of filtered and clarified juice (including carbonated varieties) label and sell their product as "apple cider." Legal distinctions are not universal and elusive to apply.[9]
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