How To Know If The Juice Is Spoiled
If the juice is spoiled, it will give off a brown color with a bitter taste like vinegar or any carbonated drink. The juice bottle will itself look stuffy if it is spoiled. The spoiled juice may lose some of the nutrients and its color because of the oxidation process.
Apart from the colour, there are some other signs you can test your senses for if the juice is spoilt. If your juice has been spoiled, chances are that it has lost its fresh color and has taken on a darker, brownish tone. To minimize your risk of any consequences, if you truly want to sample any suspected spoiled juice, make sure to only sample a very small amount, spit it immediately afterwards, and wash your mouth with water.
If you detect a harsh or acidic odor, or if it tastes of vinegar or alcohol, throw it out. Taste might not be the best tasting way to know whether the juice is aging, but at least you will know for sure. Either in the bottle or when you pour into a clear glass, if you notice that the juice is a strange colour, it is likely time to toss it.
You can also tell a juice has turned by smelling it or tasting it, and either it is OFF/vinegar-like/carbonated, or if the bottle has expanded and looks crowded. There are a lot of ways to know that an orange juice has turned sour, but the best is to smell it and taste it. To find out whether or not your juice is going bad, put your juice in a clear glass, and if you notice that the color is deeper than orange juices natural color, then you should let go of your juice immediately.
You usually will notice whether or not your orange juice is going sour before looking at the stamped expiration date, as it can start fermenting or forming mold. If you are drinking bottled orange juice out of your fridge, you are opening the bottle OVER again, which causes the juice to spoil sooner than its juice expiration date. If you drink any kind of bottled juice instead of home-made orange juice, you will see that bottle or container get strained or cumbersome when the juice goes bad or expires.
To learn about Can Lemon Juice Go Bad, then check out this article.
A spoiled juice container will be expanded due to gas within, sometimes causing mold as well. You will be able to see these molds either on the surface of the liquid juice, or adhering to the ruined juice container. The molds can also be found on the juice itself — for a closer look, just put a bit in your glass and inspect closely.
If it is a fresh, refrigerated lemon juice from the supermarket, then the white sediment is likely a few bits of pulp or skin. If there is an indication on the label that you should shake lemon juice well before using, then it is more likely that this is the fresh, natural juice.
| Type of Juice | Shelf Life |
| Fresh juice | 3 days (In refrigerator) |
| Fresh store-bought orange juice | 1-2 weeks (In refrigerator) |
| Canned or bottled juices | 1 year |
You will know whether your juice is pasteurized or not from the location of it at the supermarket. For fresh juice, be sure to put it into your fridge immediately after getting home, and keep it there after opening.
Fresh juice, which has not been pasteurized, can remain refrigerated up to seven days after its state-set expiration date, regardless of whether or not it has been opened. Fresh store-bought orange juice, when kept refrigerated, will last for 1 to 2 weeks before spoiling, since it has been made without preservatives.
By the way if you are interested in How To Know If Strawberries Are Bad, then check out my another article.
Unfortunately, these products all have relatively short shelf lives, and any orange juice will likely spoil if not stored correctly, or used within a couple days after it is opened. Your best option to enjoy delicious orange juice is to purchase bottles you know you will use in just a couple of days, so that you are getting not just all of the flavor benefits, but also all the nutrients that come along with them. This is why fresh juice is kept in an airtight container in your fridge, and consumed within one day, so that juice does not spoil.
The packaged juice has a best-by date on the container, which may indicate the juice may be able to keep for months. Leaving fresh-squeezed juices sitting around at room temperature could cause it to spoil after just a couple of hours. When you use the juicer to squeeze juice out of an orange, if you leave it out overnight, or leave it in a fridge for an extended period, then it may slowly spoil.
Once you open the bottle, jar, or carton, the contents will get spoiled pretty fast, even if you keep your juice stored correctly (meaning sealed up and refrigerated). Keep the bottle of unopened apple juice in the same way you would keep the store-brand, and transfer to the fridge as soon as you open it.
If you make your own apple juice or buy yours in a cooler, store it in the fridge at all times. If it is a commercially canned or bottled orange juice (stored shelf-stable, not refrigerated) that is not opened, that is okay for one, perhaps one-and-a-half years, and sometimes longer, as long as you keep it in cool areas, such as your pantry. You usually will know that your orange juice is sour before even looking at the stamped expiration date, because it can begin fermenting or moldy.
Taste — If you are not quite sure, but your juice seems a little fizzy or has a tart taste, then it is probably started to ferment and should not be consumed. To confirm whether the colour shift is abnormal, smell the juice, if there is a rancid smell in the juice, it is time to let it go.
Ruined juice might appear darker than usual, or your container might be expanding due to gases released by rotten juice microorganisms. Unless fruits and vegetables, or your juice or cider, has been pasteurized or otherwise treated to eliminate any harmful bacteria, your juice could be contaminated. When fruits and vegetables are juiced or used raw, bacteria from the produce could get into your juice or cider.
If the juice is not pasteurized, or not properly pasteurized, the bacteria can grow and cause serious illness in people who drink it, like e.coli and cryptosporidium infections. Unpasteurized juices, in particular, may contain these germs, which can grow even when juice is refrigerated correctly, leading to food-borne illnesses that may produce symptoms like diarrhea, nausea, abdominal cramps, and vomiting. Some types of micro-organisms in expired orange juice may also cause severe, deadly consequences, such as breathing difficulties, a high fever, and dizziness, which all require medical treatment.
How long does it take for the juice to spoil?
However, you must consume your fresh juice within 72 hours of storing it in the refrigerator. Fresh juice is packed with vitamins, minerals, and other essential components. Fresh juice alone contains all of these chemicals; juice that has been kept in storage for days at a time does not.
How do you know if the juice is good?
If the label on your juice says “cold extracted,” you may be confident that it is wholesome. Juices that are derived using natural methods and don’t contain sugar as a preservative don’t have a lengthy shelf life. A nutritious juice without additional sugar would only have a 40-day maximum storage life.
What is the best time to drink fresh juice?
You may drink vegetable juice at any moment. Both early in the day and just before a meal is ideal. It also has a cleansing impact on the body. Its vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients are absorbed on an empty stomach. Because fruit juice quickly boosts blood sugar levels, it should be fully avoided.