Portable, low‐cost equipment for small‐scale fruit juice processing

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Abstract
Summary: Simple, low‐cost portable equipment to extract citrus juice, and pasteurize it and other fruit juices by passing through a coil of stainless steel tube in boiling water was designed, constructed and tested. Temperature reached was varied by altering the hydrostatic feed height, and the product was directly hot‐bottled and capped. Pasteurization was microbiologically effective, and had little effect on ascorbic acid, furfural and colour of freshly prepared pineapple orange, Valencia orange and apple juices, and an orange squash drink, and only the expected changes occurred on storage at 21°C for periods up to 6 months, although with no indication of microbial activity. Taste panel ratings showed a loss of liking for treated orange juice, but not for apple. The equipment is suitable for improved utilization of crops by community technology in less‐developed areas.