client
Cold Pressed Juice
Our Role
We redefined fast-casual loyalty
Today’s Task
What We did Today?
Event: Process Optimization & Quality Control Study
Today’s task is focused on the formulation and preservation of a nutrient-rich cold-pressed juice prototype. Cold-press juice process involves extracting juices from fruits without the use of heat. Though this process helps to preserve more heat-sensitive nutrients and enzymes, it affects the shelf stability due to microbial susceptibility and enzymatic degradation. Today, we planned to evaluate different thermal treatments (LTLT, HTST, UHT) for their ability to extend shelf life without compromising sensory attributes, nutritional composition, or structural integrity of the product.
How I Felt Before Starting
I felt eager to dive into the experiment, curious about how different processing conditions would influence the juice’s stability and quality. Working hands-on with natural ingredients while testing scientific preservation methods made the process both exciting and challenging. This was a great opportunity to explore creative formulations that combine artisanal juice quality with commercial scalability.
🧪 What We Did Today
Product Development Plan – Formulation and Preservation of Cold-Pressed Juice
The experiment focused on creating a nutrient-rich, skin-glowing cold-pressed juice while addressing the challenge of short shelf life. The work required:
- Precise balance of fruit ratios (tropical fruits, citrus fruits, and berries) to optimize flavor, sweetness, and acidity.
- Evaluation of thermal preservation techniques (LTLT, HTST, UHT) to extend shelf life without compromising nutrients or sensory attributes.
- Minimal processing strategies to retain the fresh taste, natural color, and bioactive compounds.
This made the experiment both technically demanding and scientifically exciting, offering an opportunity to explore how artisanal
Key Steps Followed Today:
- Fruit Base Analysis: Cold-pressed natural juice concentrates (tropical fruits, citrus fruits, and berries) standardized for °Brix, titratable acidity, pH, and antioxidant activity.
- Supplementary Ingredients: Small additions of botanicals, soluble fibers, and adaptogens incorporated to enhance functional benefits and mouthfeel.
- Rationale: Selected based on synergistic sensory pairing, nutrient density, and visual appeal while keeping proprietary ingredients discreet.
- Juice Extraction: Ingredients are washed, weighed, and cold-pressed under controlled conditions.
- Filtration: Juice filtered to remove coarse particulates while preserving colour, aroma, and bioactive compounds.
- Optional Stabilizer Addition: Minimal natural stabilizers are used to maintain the suspension of fine particulates without affecting flavor or clean-label status.
- Matrix Composition: Fruit blends tested in multiple ratios to optimize flavor, acidity, sweetness, and functional properties.
- Sweetening System: Natural low-glycemic alternatives considered for consistency in taste without compromising nutritional profile.
- pH Adjustment: Controlled at ~3.5 ± 0.1 to support microbial stability and shelf-life enhancement.
- Pasteurization Techniques:
- LTLT: 63 °C, 30 min
- HTST: 72 °C, 15 sec
- UHT: 135–140 °C, 2–5 sec
- Evaluation Metrics:
- Nutrient retention (Vitamin C, carotenoids, polyphenols)
- Color stability (ΔE values)
- Flavor retention (sensory panel scoring; volatile profile analysis planned in future trials)
- Conditions: Stored at 4 °C and 25 °C for initial shelf-life assessment.
- Parameters Assessed:
- Physicochemical: °Brix, pH drift, water activity, turbidity
- Microbial: Total plate count, yeast, and mold
- Sensory: Hedonic scoring (n=15 panelists) for color, aroma, taste, mouthfeel, and overall acceptability
📚 What I Learned?
- Perishability Challenge: Cold-pressed juices are highly prone to microbial spoilage, making preservation critical for market scaling.
- Pasteurization Insights:
- LTLT preserved flavor but limited microbial reduction.
- HTST balanced microbial safety with retention of fresh taste.
- UHT ensured maximum microbial safety but risked slight flavor alteration.
- Nutritional Retention: Vitamin C, other micronutrients, and antioxidants remained better preserved under HTST compared to UHT.
Outcome:
- Nutritional Profile:
- Vitamin C ↑ 25–30%
- β-carotene ↑ 20–25%
- Total Antioxidants ↑ 15–20% (depending on flavor variant)
- Sensory Scores (9-point scale):
The freshly prepared juice had a vibrant taste, natural aroma, and smooth mouthfeel, close to freshly squeezed juice.
- Appearance: 8.3
- Flavor: 8.0
- Mouthfeel: 7.5 (slightly thicker in botanical-infused variants)
- Overall Acceptability: 8.0
- Shelf-Life:
Processing methods showed promise in enhancing shelf stability without excessive nutrient degradation.
- Stable for 21–28 days under refrigerated storage without microbial growth
- Minor color and flavor changes observed beyond 28 days; ambient storage limited to 3–5 days
✅ What Went Well?
- Optimized juice formulations ensured consistent sensory quality, balancing sweetness, acidity, and aromatic profile while preserving key phytonutrients.
- Systematic assessment of thermal treatments demonstrated clear differences in microbial reduction, color stability, and antioxidant retention.
- HTST processing was identified as the preferred method, effectively extending shelf life while maintaining the juice’s fresh taste and nutrient integrity.
⚠️ What Could I Have Done Better
- Exploreed non-thermal preservation methods such as high-pressure processing (HPP) or pulsed electric fields to further enhance microbial safety while minimizing nutrient and flavor degradation.
- Investigated enzyme or pectin-based stabilization strategies to reduce phase separation and turbidity, improving mouthfeel and visual clarity over extended storage.
- Conducted comprehensive sensory benchmarking against premium cold-pressed juices to optimize consumer acceptability and refine flavor balance across different formulations.
- Optimized ingredient pre-treatment and blending protocols to maximize bioactive compound retention
This study demonstrates a first-of-its-kind approach in functional beverage development, integrating flavor innovation, nutritional enrichment, and shelf-life extension in cold-pressed juices. While technically challenging due to perishability, enzymatic activity, and nutrient stability, the research confirms that commercially scalable, nutrient-rich, clean-label juices are feasible. This opens avenues for next-generation functional beverages that combine artisanal quality with industrial viability.
What made to choose FRL
We help you to comply with guidelines and attain certifications that you need.
What made
Choose
FRL
Project Code:24FRL-BEV-NPD 4577-01
Name:Mohammad Hassan
Project Code:24-FRL-FOD-NPD-2462-02
Name:Miral
Project Code: 24-FRL-FOD-NPD-3449-01
Name: Mehul Molir
Project Code: 24-FRL-BEV-REV-2878-01
Name: Esther
Project Code: 24-FRL-NPD-FTP-PMR-2660-02
Name: Harshad
Let’s create something Innovative and Delicious together
Food Research Lab strives for excellence in new Food, Beverage and Nutraceutical Product Research and Development by offering cutting edge scientific analysis and expertise.