How to Prevent Apple Juice From Turning Color

Homemade apple juice rarely looks like the picture-perfect processed juice you get in the market, but that doesn't mean you can't prevent it from turning color. Homemade apple juice starts oxidizing as soon as air comes in contact with the flesh, but sometimes the browning doesn't appear until later. The same goes with the enzymatic browning caused by enzymes in the apple flesh. This doesn't occur in processed juice because it's been pasteurized and treated with food acid, which prevents browning. You can pasteurize and acidulate your apple juice at home using small-batch versions of the same techniques.

Things You'll Need

  • Lemon juice or cider vinegar
  • Candy thermometer or instant-read thermometer

Acidulating

  1. Add lemon juice to the apple juice right after you make it. Use 1/4 cup of lemon juice for every quart of apple juice.

  2. Add apple-cider vinegar to the apple juice right after you make it if you want a sourer taste than lemon juice imparts.

  3. Stir the lemon juice or cider vinegar into the apple juice or shake the bottle to mix it and store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Pasteurizing

  1. Pour the apple juice in a non-reactive saucepan or pot and place it on the stove right after you acidulate it with lemon juice or apple-cider vinegar. Non-reactive pans are made of stainless steel or glass, not aluminum or copper.

  2. Set the heat to medium and attach a candy thermometer to the pan. You can use an instant-read thermometer if you don't have a candy thermometer.

  3. Watch the temperature of the apple juice as it heats. Let the apple juice heat for at least six seconds after it reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit and take the pan off the heat.

  4. Let the apple juice cool to room temperature and transfer it to an airtight container for storage in the refrigerator.

Previous:

Next:

Food & Drink

Cooking Techniques

Cooking Techniques

https://en.drinkfood.biz © Food & Drink