Without beating around the bush, fresh juice is meant to last for up to 24 hours before getting spoilt. However, this time period differs depending on the type of juicer you used in extracting the juice from your fruits and veggies. Now, if you are a masticating juicer user then you might ask ‘How long can you keep the juice from a masticating juicer?’
Well for a masticating juicer, your juice can last up to 48 or 72 hours before you notice any sour traces. This is a longer shelf life when compared to the shelf life of juice extracted with a centrifugal juicer. If you wonder why this is so, then read on to find out.
Why Is The Shelf Life Of A Masticating Juicer Longer Than That Of A Centrifugal Juicer?
It is no surprise that you are curious to know the reason behind this fact. In fact, the differences between a masticating juicer and a centrifugal juicer are one that stirs up interesting topics in the juicing world. To understand the trick behind the longer shelf life of a masticating juicer, you first need to understand how differently a masticating juicer extracts its juice from a centrifugal juicer.
In a masticating juicer, a gear is used in the grinding of fruits and veggies while in a centrifugal juicer, a blade spinning at high speed like that of a blender is used in slicing fruits and veggies to extract the juice in them.
Now, a centrifugal juicer has a blade that spins really fast. This blade draws in the air into the juicer which leads to the oxidation of your juice; one major factor that affects the shelf life. To understand oxidation, cut an apple in two equal halves and leave them in the open air. It will surely turn brown. This is oxidation, and this is what the air a centrifugal juicer absorbs does to your juice. Apart from the air that is being absorbed, a centrifugal juicer also heats up as a result of the speed in which the blade spins. This also affects the shelf life of your juice.
Now, let’s look at a masticating juicer. A masticating juicer grinds your ingredient slowly using the gear in them. One benefit of the slow grinding gear is that it does not heat up your juice thereby eliminating the effect that heating up causes. Another benefit is that the gear absorbs almost no air which again eliminates the effects of oxidation. Now, with a masticating juicer that comes with two gears (often called twin gear juicer), the whole process of masticating juicer preserving the shelf life of your juice becomes even better. With a twin gear juicer, your juice can last up to five days, while with a masticating juicer, it can last up to two or three days.
Now, if someone ever asks the question ‘How long can you keep juice from a masticating juicer?,’ you know just the right answer to give them.
After exploring the shelf life of a masticating juicer, let’s see some tricks you could use in determining whether your juice has gone bad.
How To Know If Your Juice Is No Longer Good
Fresh juice gets spoiled especially when it is left longer than the approximate shelf life. In spite of this, many do not know that their juice is bad already and they take a gulp and keep wondering why it tastes so unlike fresh juice.
To determine if your fresh juice is still good for consumption, you should smell it. Fresh juice gone bad would definitely smell differently from the original counterpart. Smelling is a good way to determine a spoilt juice. Another effective method to check whether your juice is still good is checking to see if the color has changed. Look at the top of your juice and check for traces of brown color. If you get some, there are chances your juice is bad and should be disposed of. It is important to check for the coloring before shaking your juice. If not, it will be difficult to determine if the juice is still good.
In conclusion, if you want to ensure that your fresh juice is actually fresh, you have to use fresh fruits and vegetables. The state of the fruits and vegetables you use in juicing have a great impact on the juice that will be extracted. If you unknowingly juice sore fruits, then you will have ‘sour fresh juice’. Make sure your fruits and vegetables are of the best quality.