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The Preservation of Fruit Juices

During the fruit season there is a possibility of the preservation of fruits by the use of the old and tried process of heating the bottles containing the juice for a period of from two to three hours. There can be no doubt that sound (i. e., neither damaged, decayed, nor bruised) ripe fruit may be kept in suitable quantities for a considerable time, if covered with sugar and left undisturbed, this, too, without deteriorating the taste, color or aroma of the fruit if packed with care. The advantages of a temporary, easy and ready preservative, which will keep fruits, are obvious, provided the fruits are kept in a cold place, for it enables the manufacturer to stock a quantity of fruit which he may retain till he may have either more time to attend to it, or a better chance of deciding for what purpose he may employ it, and these are matters of no mean importance. Whole fruit may thus be stored in bulk, by carefully, and without fracture, filling into convenient sized jars or bottles, so filling each vessel that the solution is within an inch of the cork when pressed into position. The corks should first of all be immersed in melted paraffine wax, then drained and allowed to cool. Then by sterilizing the bottles they will keep reasonably well. When fruit juices alone are required for storage purposes they are prepared by subjecting the juicy fruits to considerable pressure, by which process the juices are liberated. The sound ripe fruits are crushed and packed into felt or flannel bags. The fruit should be carefully selected, rotten or impaired portions being carefully removed; this is important, or the whole stock would be spoiled. Several methods are adopted for preserving and clarifying fruit juices. A common way in which they are kept from fermenting is by the use of salicylic acid or other antiseptic substance, which destroys the fermentative germ, or otherwise retards its action for a considerable time. About 2 ounces of salicylic acid, previously dissolved in alcohol, to 25 gallons of juice, or 40 grains to the gallon, is generally considered the proper proportion. Another method adopted, and which is quite practicable, is to fill the freshly prepared cold juice into bottles until it reaches the necks, and on the top of this fruit juice a little glycerin is placed. Juices thus preserved will keep in an unchanged condition in any season. Probably one of the best methods of preserving fruit juices is to add 15 per cent of 95 per cent alcohol. On such an addition, albumen and mucilaginous matter will be deposited. The juices may then be stored in large bottles, jars or barrels, if securely closed, and when clear, so that further clarification is unnecessary, the juice should then be decanted or siphoned off. An efficient way of clarifying fruit juices is to heat them with a small quantity of albumen (white of egg) in an enameled vessel, provided with a close-fitting lid, without stirring, to near the boiling point of water. The impurities under this treatment coagulate, and either rise to the top or fall to the bottom; they then need to be filtered through felt or flannel. This heating process most effectively destroys the germs of fermentation, and the subsequent filtration clarifies the juices, which should be kept in a cool place; so stored they will remain unchanged for an indefinite period if they have been properly and carefully prepared. Corks should be coated with wax, and, if possible, the bottle necks dipped. Great care should be observed in heating the juices, no more being applied than is absolutely necessary, or the delicate aroma will suffer. The manufacturers of this class of goods have made such progress in the last few years in the quality of the syrups and fruits they are turning out that it is considered safer by the majority of the soda dispensers to buy these goods rather than attempt to manufacture them in the store. The pure food laws, such as have been passed in the various States, also make it unsafe to use preservatives, and manufacturers of crushed fruits, syrups and juices sell in each State goods which comply with the law of that State, which relieves the dispenser of responsibility. NO MATTER how many drinks you may serve at the fountain try to have some of them distinctly your own, and which bear a mark of proprietorship.