Does apple juice go bad if not refrigerated?

Does apple juice go bad if not refrigerated?-people ask it often. Sometimes we get questions like- what happens if you don’t refrigerate juice after opening? Or does pasteurized juice need to be refrigerated? Well, today, we will try to provide a broad answer to these most popular questions with other queries.

Let’s dive right in.

We often make apple juice at home using an apple juicer machine to drink instantly or preserve the squeezed liquid in the refrigerator for longer or later uses. Sometimes we buy readymade pasteurized juice to drink. But we stay in confusion when we go to drink opened apple juice that is left out overnight. And we think what happens if we drink the juice that was opened overnight without preserving it in the refrigerator. To know all these things, I will gradually make them clear to you.

Table of Contents

How long can opened apple juice stay unrefrigerated?

How long can opened juice stay unrefrigerated depend on which juicer you use to make apple juice? There are two main types of juicers, such as a masticating juicer and a centrifugal juicer. If you use the high-speed centrifugal juicer, it creates much-oxidized juice, which reduces the shelf life of apple juice. So you can keep this juice unrefrigerated for up to 6-8 hours.

On the other hand, if you make apple juice using slow speed masticating juicer, its slow speed cold press prevents much oxidation that ensures longer juice shelf life. You can keep cold-pressed juice unrefrigerated for up to 72 hours if you store it in an airtight jar and dark place. Unopened pasteurized juice can give more extended juice shelf life. But if you drink the pasteurized apple juice once and keep the juicer can, or box opened, the liquid will spoil sooner.

According to the US Food and Drug Administration-

“Opened pasteurized juice can only be kept at room temperature for two hours”.

So if you leave out opened apple juice overnight and drink it in the morning, it may cause some severe health issues than health benefits.

How long does opened juice last in the fridge?

You squeezed juice and store it in the fridge for later consumption. When you open the top cap of the juice bottle or jar, it comes in contact with air and light. The opened juice may attract bacteria that reduce the longevity of liquid. Or you can consume pasteurized juice from the fridge. If you opened the sealed jar once, it would reduce the quality of the fluid. So once an apple juice box or can opens, we recommend consuming it within 7-10 days and obviously preserving the juice fridge again.

Does pasteurized juice need to be refrigerated?

It’s a crucial question that people usually ask. Pasteurized juice is a shelf-stable juice that is processed to store for two to three months. It is preserved in such a way that the liquid should not be kept in the fridge if it stays unopened. But once you open the can or sealed box of pasteurized apple juice, you should not keep it outside of the refrigerator. Therefore, keep the opened juice in the fridge to deter it from fermenting and maintaining the juice’s longevity.

Does freezing fresh juice kill nutrients?

Many of us believe or argue that freezing fresh apple juice can keep nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and enzymes alive for more extended periods. It’s partially true. You can’t get an all-natural taste, color, nutrients and even texture if you drink the frozen juice. Freezing degrades the nutritional value of the liquid little by little over time.

The wise decision is to drink the juice immediately after the extraction if you want to have all nutrients properly. Even though you freeze up the juice, you should drink the juice within 7-10 days. If you want the maximum quality juice retaining all nutritional value, you have to squeeze the fluid using the slow-speed juicer over the fastest juicer. Cold press juicer reduces oxidation in the liquid that ensures the longer juice’s shelf life. Try to freeze up the juice with airtight containers or bottles.

How long can you drink juice after the expiration date?

How long you can drink after the expiration date is not definite. Still, you can drink juice after the expiration date. But you have to see the condition of the liquid whether it is fermented or not. If you get bad smells, sour taste, or see a small bubble in juice, you can’t drink it.

We recommend that you should not absorb the fluids that pass their expiration date. The companies that sell juices use a preservative that has an expiration date. If the preservative expires, it turns into poison. Therefore, if you consume moldy juice, that may cause severe health problems like gas, abdominal pain, diarrhea, etc. Still, you can drink juice after the expiration date.

What happens if you don’t refrigerate juice after opening?

The refrigerator keeps the microbes (bacteria) away from worsening the color, taste, texture, or even juice nutrients. So when you open the juice bottle or jar and don’t refrigerate juice after opening, it will start fermenting over time and reduce the juice shelf life. It’s due to a bacterial attack on juice. When you open the airtight jar and bring it to the light but forget to keep the fluid in the fridge, the liquid is gradually fermented by harmful microbes and destroys the color, taste, texture, and nutrients of juice over time.

Does apple juice go bad if not refrigerated?

Though Apple is a bit acidic fruit and protects the juice from being fermented for a more extended period, apple juice can still go bad if not refrigerated after extraction. If it does not preserve the juice in an airtight jar and often opens to drink juice, bacteria attack on juice shelf life.

At that time, if the liquid is not refrigerated after opening, the bacteria spoil the color, taste, and nutrients of juice gradually. As a result, apple juice spreads a bad smell and tastes sour slowly. If you drink this moldy juice, it may cause gas, diarrhea, and stomach aches, and so on.