This technology is a carrot juice processing method that achieves both sterilization and color improvement by adding low concentrations of natural antimicrobial agents, caprylic acid and citric acid, and treating them at a relatively mild temperature for a short time. It is configured to maintain the redness and yellowness of the juice above a certain level after processing.
Unpasteurized fresh carrot juice has a near-neutral pH, making it prone to bacterial growth and limiting its shelf life to just one or two days. Heat pasteurization compromises the fresh flavor and nutrients of carrots and degrades the red color that influences consumer preference, while non-thermal technologies like high-pressure processing are uneconomical due to high equipment costs and also suffer from color quality degradation.
This technology achieves a synergistic effect by combining low concentrations of caprylic acid and citric acid, which are ineffective on their own, thereby minimizing additives and reducing changes in food quality. It controls major foodborne pathogens such as E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and Listeria to sterilization levels while also increasing brightness. It can be applied to carrot juice production lines, cold-chain vegetable juice products, and cold-pressed juice shops, extending the shelf life of fresh juice while enhancing the vibrant orange color preferred by consumers.
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