I made some Watermelon/Orange and Lime Juice can it be water bathed to last longer in the fridge if so how long should I do it for and will it change the flavor ? I just want to make weekly batches but everything I read says it only stays good for 3 to 4 days .
misc Best way to prolong refrigerated shelf life of homemade juice ?
- Thread starter Gargoyle91
- Start date
What about freezing some? You can actually freeze Mason jars if you leave enough room for expansion.
salsalady
eXtreme Business
Hot Water Bath depends on the pH of the product. watermelon/orange/lime Sounds Like it would have a low pH. but the only way to know for sure is with a pH tester. Good ones available for <$90.
Unless you know for sure the pH, BWB for shelf stable is not recommended.
You mentioned doing a hot water bath (Boiling Water Bath) and then refrigerating. Usually, a BWB is for something that has a high enough acidity (and therefore low enough pH) that it is safe to BWB and be shelf stable at room temp. I don't see the benefit of doing a BWB without knowing the pH and then refrigerating. The process of BWB will cook the juice, and maybe?probably? change the flavor of the juice.
Freezing is a good option, won't cook the juice, and freezing generally doesn't change the flavor of the item.
For a weekly batch, I think you would be good to make the juice and keep refrigerated, or even frozen. Keep the juice in the coldest part of the refrigerator.
If you are invested enough in the juice to want to get a pH meter, if the juice is below 4.0pH, you should be good to keep it refrigerated up to 7 days.
Have fun~
salsalady
Unless you know for sure the pH, BWB for shelf stable is not recommended.
You mentioned doing a hot water bath (Boiling Water Bath) and then refrigerating. Usually, a BWB is for something that has a high enough acidity (and therefore low enough pH) that it is safe to BWB and be shelf stable at room temp. I don't see the benefit of doing a BWB without knowing the pH and then refrigerating. The process of BWB will cook the juice, and maybe?probably? change the flavor of the juice.
Freezing is a good option, won't cook the juice, and freezing generally doesn't change the flavor of the item.
For a weekly batch, I think you would be good to make the juice and keep refrigerated, or even frozen. Keep the juice in the coldest part of the refrigerator.
If you are invested enough in the juice to want to get a pH meter, if the juice is below 4.0pH, you should be good to keep it refrigerated up to 7 days.
Have fun~
salsalady
Thanks for the info - I don't ev en think it needs to be WB , I made it on Sat and have had a pint everyday just finished one and it's 7 days later smelled and tasted fine . Internet said it would only last 3 days ..
The citric acid is preserving it.