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Does Orange Juice Go Bad? The Answer Depends on How It’s Stored

Does Orange Juice Go Bad? The Answer Depends on How It’s Stored

April 16, 2022
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Does orange juice go bad? – Those who are concerned about their health often ask this question and in this guide, we are going to gradually answer this common question.

At room temperature, an orange can last about a week, perhaps even longer if the orange is still ripening. You can store oranges in a fridge for about a month and they can be frozen for much longer.

But once the orange is cut open and juice is extracted, these health products gradually start going off as the natural decomposition process is activated when food particles come in contact with bacteria and oxygen.

There are quite a few factors that impact how quickly your juice goes off such as temperature.

The juicing process also affects the shelf life of orange juice and by extracting juices slowly, your juice will last a lot longer.

OJ is considered healthy and is often consumed in the morning. It is high in vitamin C, potassium, folic acid, and vitamin B6, and also contains dietary fiber, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin A, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, and copper.

This is the question of the day: how long does orange juice keep?

Table of Contents

Does Orange Juice Go Bad?

Is the juice really best consumed within a few days of opening? That’s what most people believe. But when it comes to food, the truth is often the opposite of what we think. And that’s exactly what the case is with a particular type of fruit juice. So, let’s look at how OJ can actually spoil.

How To Know If Orange Juice is Spoiled

There are quite a few indicators that your juice has gone bad. If you see one, then you’re probably well on your way.

If the juice’s color is still the same and the texture is fine, then it is still safe for consumption. But if you note a change in color, texture, taste, and smell then you have to avoid drinking it. This is because it has already gone bad.

To check the quality of your juice, place the jar in a dark place and check for the smell or taste every few hours. If you find your juice smells bad, you have to let it sit in the fridge overnight.

Also, note the appearance of any molds that have grown in the juice or any unusual masses.

The final test is its taste. If the natural orange juice tastes off with a slight burn on the tongue or rotten aroma, your juice is already gone bad. Sometimes, bad orange juice can also become flavorless or it can taste different than usual.

Commercial orange juice usually has an expiry date that indicated if the juice is still fresh. You can also check if the container gets tight or bulky. If this happens the juice is also bad.

Can Orange Juice Spoil if Not Refrigerated Properly?

Perishable foods that need to be kept cold, like juices, can only be stored at room temperature for two hours after which they start going bad and are considered unsafe for consumption.

This means you can refrigerate Orange juice for a maximum of three days. However, as the American Academy of Pediatrics notes, there are other factors that could affect the safety of your juice. “The quality of the juice is another issue,” says Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale Center for Eating and Weight Disorders. “Juices should be clear and free of sediment, and they should not be cloudy or discolored.” But how can you tell if your juice has gone bad?

So far, I’ve tried to figure this out, and here are some things I’ve found. The most obvious symptom is that the juice tastes weird. It may be very sour or it may taste like you’re drinking vinegar. If you like tart, acidic juices, then you should definitely avoid these.

How to Store Orange Juice.

Here are a few steps to store the juice.

Unrefrigerated juices lose quality quickly, so store juices in a cool and dark place.
Keep them in the fridge once opened.
If you want to drink fresh juice, make sure to buy the best quality.
You don’t necessarily need to refrigerate juices if you’re planning to consume them within a day.
The best way to preserve the flavor of juices is to freeze them. OJ is often found in the refrigerator or freezer section of grocery stores.-“Don’t freak out if you left an open bottle of OJ in a car.”

Ways To Make Orange Juice Last Longer

Store-bought orange juice has a longer life expectancy but most people prefer to make their own OJ because these juices are usually expensive and they contain preservatives and additives that can affect your health negatively.

Freshly squeezed juices are the healthiest but you do need to be careful when making and storing these juices or they will go off quickly. Here is a quick look a the best ways to make your homemade orange juice last longer.

Extract Juice Slowly

Fast rotating machines like centrifugal juicers tend to create heat friction that damages enzymes and these juicers also cause oxidation and introduce a lot of fine pulp in the juice. A combination of damaged enzymes, pulp, and oxidation makes the juice go bad much quicker.

The best way to get your juice to last longer is by extracting the juice slowly. You can do this by manually squeezing fresh orange juice from citrus fruits or by using a slow masticating juicing machine. With these devices, the pulp is reduced, oxidation is prevented and all of the nutrients and enzymes are kept intact. This means your juice won’t just last longer, it will also be healthier.

Store Juice Properly

Storing your freshly squeezed juice properly can make it last a lot longer because it will prevent contamination.

First, you need to store your juice in an air-tight container. This will keep the juice clean and will keep bacteria from affecting your juice.

Next, you should store juice in a refrigerator. Slowly extracted juice will last up to 3 days in a refrigerator and up to 12 hours unrefrigerated.

You can also consider adding a bit of lemon juice to your orange juice container. Lemon juice is a natural preservative that can prevent dark spots from forming in the juice and will keep the juice good for longer.

Consider Freezing

You can freeze any type of orange juice for up to 4 months whether it is store-bought, freshly squeezed, slowly extracted, or extracted by fast rotating machines. When freezing orange juice, it is however important to store your product in an airtight container and to keep the temperature steady.

If orange juice is tawed, refrozen, and tawed again, it can become deadly. It is very important to either consume or discard any juice you taw.

Is Drinking Expired Orange Juice Safe?

Orange juice can be preserved for longer periods of time if stored in the refrigerator and is not opened until the expiration date. Once it is opened, the juice turns from an acidic form to the sweet one.

Once opened, it is usually best to consume the juice within five days. It isn’t a good idea to keep drinking orange juice a week after opening it or after it expired because you might get sick. What is the expiration date? The expiration date on food or drinks is when the product should be used up. Products should not be used past their expiration dates. When a product expires, the quality of the product deteriorates and can make you sick. If you drink the juice now, you should be okay. However, if you drink the juice after the expiration date, you might get sick.

How Would Drinking Spoiled Orange Juice Affect You?

If you drink expired orange juice, you may experience a number of unpleasant side effects. The unpleasant side effects of orange juice can vary depending on the person but may include a metallic taste in your mouth, a headache, food poisoning, an upset stomach, vomiting, and a fever. In some rare instances, you may even experience seizures or death.

What Is The Shelf-Life of Orange Juice?

There are quite a few factors that can affect the shelf life of OJ. The most important factors are the juice extraction method and the storage method. Here is a quick look at the main differences in shelf life.

How Long Commerical Juice Lasts

With commercial or store-bought orange juice, manufacturers add a bit of preservative to keep it good so the juice can be stored for longer. An unopened juice can last 3-6 months in the fridge. Once opened, the juice will keep for 1-2 weeks. Pasteurized juice lasts for a year if it is not opened.

Unopened commercial OJ in a store can be consumed up to two weeks past the sell best-by date and, once opened, can last up to seven days in the fridge.

While these juices last a lot longer, especially while sealed in an air-tight container or pasteurized, these additives are usually not the healthiest to consume, especially if your body is sensitive to additives or if you are prone to allergies.

How Long Freshly Squeezed Juice Lasts

Freshly squeezed orange juice has a shorter lifespan, especially if the juice contains pulp. With freshly squeezed juice, it is always best to consume it within 1 – 3 days. But here, the extraction method is vital.

The average homemade orange juice product has about 4% ethanol, and a glass of juice should last you three hours at most if not refrigerated. It’s a sweet liquid and can be quite strong, so you’ll want to drink it slowly. Freshly squeezed orange juice may be refrigerated for 3 to 4 days, depending on how it was stored and produced.

Juice that is extracted through a fast rotating centrifugal juicer usually only last about 2 hours at room temperature and 24 hours in a fridge. This is because these juices usually contain quite a bit of pulp and the fast-rotating blades of the machine tend to cause oxidation and damages enzymes in the juice which makes it spoil faster.

Refrigerated orange juice that is slowly extracted through a manual citrus press or a slow masticating juicer can be stored for up to 3 days because all of the enzymes are preserved, there is very little pulp and oxidation is prevented.

As mentioned before, some food may spoil faster in one type of packaging versus another, but there are ways to extend the freshness of some of them.

How Long Frozen Orange Juice Can Last

Frozen orange juice has the longest shelf life because it can last forever as long as it is properly frozen. You can freeze any type of orange juice to store it but food specialists recommend consuming these juices within four months to prevent the enzymes from deteriorating too much.

If orange juice is frozen in a quality container, it can however be stored for much longer than four months. But the juice will be at its best and tastiest if you use it within 4 months of storage. If you can keep them in the refrigerator, you might be able to extend the shelf life to six months or longer.

When stored correctly, the juice should be kept at a temperature of 4°C (39°F). Once stored properly, the juice will remain fresh for up to 2 years.

How To Use Orange Juice Before It Goes Bad

A cup of refrigerated juice a day is great for your health but drinking too much OJ daily isn’t too good for your health. This is because oranges, and especially orange juice, contain a lot of sugar. One cup of 100% pure orange juice contains about 21 grams of sugar. If you drink a lot of juice, your blood sugar levels could be affected (especially if you have diabetes). All of this sugar can also result in weight gain.

A lot of people also find it hard to drink up all the orange juice they harvested from a tree in the backyard before it goes bad. Luckily, there are quite a few things you can do with orange juice before it goes bad like the following;

Freeze The Juice

Any orange juice, including commercial juice, unpasteurized juice, and pasteurized juice, can be frozen. Simply pour your juice into an air-tight container and you can freeze it for up to 6 months. This will give you plenty of time to gradually consume your frozen juice without affecting your health or weight.

Cook With Orange Juice

Homemade juice can be used in a great variety of recipes. Yôu can use orange juice in chicken recipes, cupcakes, and desserts. Some even use orange juice to create a flavor-rich bread or orange loaf cake.

Use as Marinade

Orange juice contains a lot of acidic ingredients that act as a natural meat tenderizer. By letting meat products sit in an orange juice marinade for a while, the meat will become nice and soft and the meat will get a nice and fruity aroma.

Final Thoughts

Does Orange Juice Go Bad? All-natural food items do eventually expire. So Yes, orange juice can go bad. but there are quite a few things you can do to make your juice last longer.

We hope that this guide has helped you find the answer to the question “Does Orange Juice Go Bad?” Our collection of articles covers a wide range of topics from cooking and health to business and marketing. So why not start your journey here?

With our handy site Juicerz Hub, you can find all the information you need to make healthy juice at home. We’ve got a guide to the basics, a juice recipes book, and the right juicer to match.

You can also have a look at some of our buyer’s guides where we compare the best citrus juicers and other types of juicers that can be used for making your own delicious juice at home.

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