Apple juice is one of the most delicious liquids in the world. Its flavor, coupled with its refreshing abilities, makes it an exceptionally sought-after drink. However, it is very hard to distinguish between good apple drinks and bad ones by sight alone. This is because from outside the bottle, these drinks tend to look okay. However, you would only realize that you open it up.
To add to that, you may see that something is floating in your delicious apple juice. Sometimes, these sediments are nothing to worry about, as they may be skin remnants, the mineral content of sugars, or fragments of juice sacs. At other times, these sediments and substances tend to be bacteria and molds forming when your apple gets bad.
If you want to know what floats in your apple juice and how to know if your apple juice is still safe to consume, you’re in luck. I would explain all you should know about apple juice and how to know if your apple juice has gone bad. I would also explain how long it takes for apple juice to go bad.
Does apple juice have stuff floating in it?
As mentioned earlier, apple juice often has things floating in it. These substances may or may not be dangerous, depending on how fresh your apple juice is. I’m talking from experience as I love apple juice to a fault.
There are sometimes that I’ve noticed stuff floating in my apple juice, and they were freshly made. At other times, against my discretion, I’ve bought apple juices that have stayed long on the shelf. This has led to me seeing mold and bacteria forming at the surface of the apple juice when I open it up.
Does apple juice have sediment?
Yes, apple juice often has sediments in them. Some of them are dangerous, while some others are harmless. That said, I will explain substances you should see as normal and those you should be wary of.
- Substances like pulp and skin
These are most likely remnants that are gotten from the process of apple juice. If apple juice is natural, there would also be a little trace remnants, no matter what. Some of these substances include natural sugars, skin remnants, pulp flesh, and remnants of skin gotten from apples.
- Substances like bacteria and molds
Other times, some sediments on the surface of apple juice tend to be harmful bacteria and mold from improper storage. If you have a strange color on the surface of the apple juice, then it would be best to throw it away. Choosing to consume this anyway can give you food poisoning and other digestive problems such as indigestion, inflammation, and bloating.
What bacteria grows in apple juice?
As much as there are harmful bacteria in apple juice, there are some naturally occurring bacteria. That said, allow me to explain the types of bacteria that are present in apple juice
- Harmful bacteria
Harmful bacteria mostly come up from improper storage of apple juice. Due to the fact that many manufacturers boast about how long their apple juices stay fresh, many wholesalers and retailers tend to store them improperly. This causes the apple juice to spoil faster, releasing all sorts of harmful bacteria. You would be able to see these harmful bacteria forming at the surface of the apple juice along with molds. Interestingly, these bacteria are more pronounced when appel juice has been fermented. Some of them include Salmonella Spp., Escherichia Coli, and Staphylococcus aureus.
- Non-harmful bacteria
Admittedly, as with all other substances in the world, you can find bacteria in appel juice. However, many of them that aren’t harmful to the human body. In fact, they can even provide medicinal benefits such as improving digestion and providing some vitamins.
How do you know if apple juice is bad?
Basically, there are several ways you can tell if apple juice is bad, and I am here to explain it to you:
- Appearance
The first thing you should look out for is the appearance of the apple juice. As mentioned earlier, you would always find some sediments and particles in good apple juices.
In fact, I would advise you to buy apple juices whose labels say “shake well before use” over clear apple juices. However, if the particles in the apple juice have a different color or look strange for some weird reason, it would be best for you to discard this apple juice.
- Smell
After the appearance, the second thing you should look out for is the smell of the apple juice. In truth, bad apple juices smell similar to fresh ones. However, if you buy apple juice regularly, you should be able to smell the difference. Bad apple juice tends to smell more pungent compared to fresh ones.
- Taste
Taste is the last thing you can use to know if apple juice is bad, especially if you can’t see or smell anything foul. Fresh apple juices should smell like, well, apples. Bad ones also taste mostly like apples, but they tend to have an acidic aftertaste. It would also give that “sour” feeling acidic foods give.
How long does it take for apple juice to go bad?
If you love apple juice, you need to know about its shelf life. On a basic level, apple juice can last as long as nine months. However, this shelf life can change depending on various factors. These are:
- Whether it’s been opened or not
Many of us are guilty of leaving opened apple juices in our fridges for more than a month and thinking it’s still safe enough for consumption. However, this is far from the case. In fact, an opened apple juice would expire within a week, regardless of how it is stored and it’s packaged. Thus, if you open an apple juice, the best thing for you to do is finish it within three days.
- Storage mode
Another thing that influences the shelf life is its storage mode. Depending on how you store it, appel juices can last for as long as the average nine months or for as short as one or two months after purchase. Improper storage means storing it in the presence of sunlight with excessive heat. On the other hand, storing well means storing your apple juice in a cool, dry place away from sunlight. That said, I would recommend storing your apple juice somewhere that’s cool and dry to get the best results.
- Packaging
Packaging is another significant factor that significantly determines the shelf life of your apple juice. There are two major ways juices in general are being packaged, and these are can and bottle. It may surprise you, but the canned apple juice tends to outlast the bottled apple juice. On average, bottled apple juices tend to last about two to three months, while canned apple juices tend to last for about six to nine months.
- Freshness
Before you buy your apple juice, there is something crucial I must tell you. Apple juice is an umbrella term for juices containing 1% of apple content up to 99% apple content. So, juice that only contains about 5% of apple content can also comfortably be called apple juice. Interestingly, these forms of apple juices tend to outlast natural apple juices due to the addition of preservatives.
Is it OK to leave Apple juice out?
Due to the natural content that are in juices, it is never okay to leave them out when you open them. Apple juices are one of the most natural juices in the world right now, so I wouldn’t recommend leaving it out. The shelf life of apple juices that are opened and left out doesn’t surpass three days.
On the other hand, it may be okay to leave them out in the open if they’ve never been opened. The shelf life could be between 2-9 months. Hence, if you want to leave apple juice in the open, make sure it hasn’t been opened before. If it has, try and get it covered before storing it.
Finally
Apple juice is a great juice that even more people should try out. Interestingly, it is one of the most common fruit juices in the world. As i mentioned earlier, there are some things that you have to know before you buy apple juice. First of all, apple sediments may be normal, and you have nothing to worry about.
However, on some occasions, especially when the best before on the bottle of the apple juice has been passed, you may need to check for the presence of molds and bacteria. If you see anything strange in your juice, make sure you don’t continue drinking. Otherwise, you could put yourself in trouble.
Luckily, i have explained all you should know about apple juices in this article. This would help you make better choices when trying to purchase apple juices.