FRUIT JUICE STARTER KIT

PRODUCTION
MANUAL

SINGLE SPARK
Your business-in-a-box!
 SINGLE SPARK

CHAPTER ONE

EQUIPMENT
Here you see an overview of the potentially required equipment, including a short description.

Juice extractor (pulper) Juice press (for citrus) Stove Stainless steel pans

10 Kg Scale Analytical Balance

Others: Measuring cylinder, Plastic buckets, Funnels, Strainers, Peelers, Knives, Wooden spoons,
Cutting boards, Thermometer.

Cup sealing machine Freezer (-20 degrees celcius)

 SINGLE SPARK

CHAPTER TWO

JUICE PRODUCTION
For all the fruit based beverages, the first stage is the extraction of juice or pulp from the fruit.
The following are the key manufacturing stages:

- Selection and preparation of raw material Juice extraction

- Filtration (optional)
- Batch preparation
- Pasteurization
- Filling and bottling.

Any fruit can be used to make fruit juice, but the most common ones include pineapple, or-
ange, grapefruit, mango and passion fruit. Some juices, such as guava juice, are not filtered
after extraction and are sold as fruit nectars.

Credits: All information in this chapter is from Fruit juice processing from Practical Action. www.practicalaction.org

1 Preparation of raw material

Select mature, undamaged fruits. Any fruits that are mouldy or under-ripe should be sort-
ed and removed. Wash the fruit in clean water. It may be necessary to chlorinate the wa-
ter by adding 1 tablespoon of bleach to 5 litres of water. Peel the fruit and remove stones
or seeds. If necessary, chop the fruit into pieces that will fit into the liquidizer or pulper.
Remember that at this stage, you are exposing the clean flesh of the fruit to the external
environment. Make sure that the utensils are clean. Do not leave the cut surfaces exposed
to the air for long periods of time or they may start to turn brown and this will discolor the
juice. The fruit pieces can be placed in water that contains lemon juice (250ml lemon juice
per litre of water) to stop them browning.
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2 Juice extraction

There are several methods to extract juice depending on the type of fruit you use.
For citrus fruits which are naturally juicy, the best option is to use a hand presser
(see figure 1) or a revolving citrus ‘rose’. Some fruits such as melon and papaya are
steamed to release the juice. Apples are pressed and fruits such as mango, guava,
pineapple, strawberry must be pulped to extract the juice. The fruit pieces are pushed
through a perforated metal plate that crushes and turns them into a pulp. Some fruits
can be pulped in a liquidizer and then filtered to remove the fruit pieces. There is a
range of equipment available that varies in size and in the type of power supply (some
are manual while the larger ones require electricity). For the small scale processor, the
hand-powered pulper/sieve which force the fruit pulp down through interchangeable
metal strainers (figures 2 and 3) is sufficient.

3 Filtering

To make a clear juice, the extracted juice or pulp is filtered through a muslin cloth
or a stainless steel filter. Some of the larger filter presses have a filter included. Al-
though juice is naturally cloudy, some consumers prefer a clear product. It may be
necessary to use pectic enzymes to break down the pectin and to help clear the
juice. Pectic enzymes may be difficult to find and expensive and therefore should
only be used if really necessary and readily available.
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4 Batch preparation

When the juice or pulp has been collected, it is necessary to prepare the batch ac-
cording to the chosen recipe. This is very much a matter of choice and judgment, and
must be done carefully to suit local tastes. Juices are sold either pure or sweetened.
Fruit squashes would normally contain about 25% fruit material mixed with a sugar
syrup to give a final sugar concentration of about 40%. Squashes are diluted with wa-
ter prior to use and, as the bottle is opened, partly used and then stored, it is neces-
sary to add a preservative (for example 800ppm sodium benzoate).
Another popular product is fruit nectar, which is a sweet mixture of fruit pulp, sugar
and water which is consumed on a ‘one shot’ basis. Essentially, these consist of a
30% mix of fruit pulp and sugar syrup to give a final sugar level of about 12-14%.
All fruits contain sugar, usually around 8-10%. The actual levels vary from fruit to fruit
and with the stage of ripeness of the fruit. They also vary within the same fruit grown
in different parts of the world. The addition of sugar to the fruit pulp to achieve the
recommended levels for preservation must take into account the amount of sugar
already present in the juice. It is important to achieve the minimum level that will pre-
vent the growth of bacteria, however, once that level has been achieved, it is possible
to add more if the consumers require a sweeter product. The amount of sugar added
in practice is usually decided by what the purchasers actually want. The Pearson
Square is a useful tool to use to help with batch formulation (see the appendix) and to
calculate the amount of sugar to be added for preservation. In all cases, sugar should
be added to the fruit juice as a sugar syrup. The syrup should be filtered through a
muslin cloth prior to mixing to remove particles of dirt which are always present. This
gives a clearer, higher quality product.

5 Pasteurization

All the products mentioned above need to be pasteurized at 80-95°C for 1-10 min-
utes prior to hot-filling into bottles. At the simplest level, this may be carried out in a
stainless steel, enameled or aluminum saucepan over a gas flame, but this can result
in localized overheating at the base of the pan, with consequent flavor changes.
Care is needed when producing pineapple juice due to a heat resistant enzyme in the
juice. The enzyme damages skin after prolonged contact and workers should there-
fore wear gloves to protect their hands. The juice must be heated to a higher tem-
perature for a longer time to destroy the enzyme (eg boiling for 20 minutes).
It is best to use stainless steel pans to heat fruit juice as the acidity of the juice can
react with aluminum in aluminum pans during prolonged heating. However, large
stainless steel pans are very expensive and may not be affordable by the small scale
processors. To get round this problem, it is possible to use a large aluminum pan to
boil the sugar syrup. The boiling syrup can then be added to a given amount of fruit
juice in a small stainless steel pan. This increases the temperature of the juice to 60-
70°C. The juice/syrup mixture is then quickly heated to pasteurizing temperature.
 SINGLE SPARK

Another option is to pasteurize the juices once they have been bottled. The bottles
are placed in a hot water bath which is heated to 80°C. The bottles are held in the hot
water for the given amount of time until the contents reach the desired temperature.
The length of time required in the water bath depends on the size and volume of the
bottles (see table 1). A thermometer should be placed in one of the bottles, which
is used as a test bottle per batch, to monitor the temperature and to ensure that the
correct temperature has been reached. This method of pasteurization has benefits but
also has problems.

The next industrial jump in pasteurization is an expensive option that involves the
purchase of a double-jacketed steam kettle in stainless steel and a small boiler. The
total cost is likely to be in the region of £5-10,000, which is only viable for larger scale
operations.

Filling and bottling

In all cases, the products should be hot-filled into clean, sterilized bottles. A stainless
steel bucket, drilled to accept a small outlet tap, is a very effective bottle filler. The
output can be doubled quite simply by fitting a second tap on the other side of the
bucket. This system has been used to produce 500-600 bottles of fruit juice per day in
the West Indies.
After filling hot, the bottles are capped and laid on their sides to cool prior to labeling.

5 Quality control

The freshness and quality of the expressed fruit juice is central to the quality of the
final product. As soon as the juice is expressed from the fruit it starts to deteriorate,
both as a result of chemical activity (enzyme action) and bacterial spoilage. It is im-
portant to move from the juice extraction stage to pasteurization as quickly as possi-
ble to minimize any spoilage.
Extracted fruit juice that is left to stand for long periods in the heat will start to fer-
ment and may start to discolour due to enzyme activity. The juice should be stored in
a refrigerator (if one is available) or in a cool place and away from the direct sunlight.
It should be collected into a clean, sterile container (food grade plastic buckets is the
best option) and covered to keep out dirt, dust and insects. For the best quality prod-
uct ,it is essential to work quickly between the extraction of the juice and the bottling
stage. The longer the juice is out of the bottles, the more chance there is of contami-
nation.
As in all food processing enterprises it is necessary to ensure that the fruit products
are correctly formulated and priced to meet the customer’s requirements, and that
production costs are minimised to ensure that a profit is made. The quality of each
day’s production should be monitored and controlled to ensure that every bottle of
juice has the correct keeping and drinking qualities.
 SINGLE SPARK

In particular the following points should be observed:

• Only fresh, fully ripe fruit should be used; mouldy or insect damaged fruit should be thrown away. All
unwanted parts (dirt, skins, stones etc) should be removed.
• All equipment, surfaces and floors should be thoroughly cleaned after each day’s production.
• Water quality is critical. If in doubt use boiled water or add one tablespoon of bleach to 5 litres of wa-
ter to sterilise it. If water is cloudy, a water filter should be used.
• Pay particular attention to the quality of re-usable bottles, check for cracks, chips etc and wash thor-
oughly before using. Always use new caps or lids.
• The concentration of preservative should be carefully controlled for correct preservation of squash-
es and cordials, and may be subject to local laws. Check first and use accurate scales to measure the
preservative.
• The temperature and time of heating are critical for achieving both the correct shelf life of the drink
and retaining a good colour and flavour. A thermometer and clock are therefore needed.
• The correct weight should be filled into the bottles each time.

These factors are important because a customer will stop buying the products if the quality varies with
each purchase.

The use of chemical preservatives in fruit juices and fruit drinks

6
As the name suggests, pure fruit juice is solely the extracted juice of fruit and should not have any pre-
servative, or any other ingredients (such as sugar) added. Fruit drinks that are not consumed in one go
can have preservatives added to help prolong the shelf life once they have been opened.
There are several chemical preservatives that can be added to fruit juices. Processors need to check
with local authorities or standards agencies to find the maximum permitted levels.

Credits: All information in this chapter is from Fruit juice processing from Practical Action. www.practicalaction.org
 SINGLE SPARK

CHAPTER THREE

RECIPES #1

Fruit juice recipes

https://juicerecipes.com/recipes/

Fruit juice recipes:

http://www.thejuicenut.com/

Fruit juice recipes:

https://www.vitamix.com/Be-Inspired/Whole-Food-
Juicing/13-Whole-Food-Juice-Recipes
 SINGLE SPARK

CHAPTER FOUR

RECIPES #2
LIME JUICE CLEAR
CORDIAL LIME OIL AND JUICE LIME JUICE
Production SMALL-SCALE PRODUCTION
This Technical Brief describes a manufacturing system capable of producing up to 250 bottles Introduction
(26oz each) of lime juice cordial per day using simple, comparatively low-cost equipment. Limes are often grown in abundance in tropical and sub tropical countries. Their seasonal
The production of oil and juice on a commercial scale requires the use of a range of equipment
for washing the fruit, crushing, screening raw juice from course pulp and seeds and setting vats availability gives rise to gluts in the market, which means that growers do not get the full reward
Lime juice cordial is a crystal clear product, normally sweetened with sugar, which is diluted to for their labours. Fresh limes are perishable items. It is often difficult to get them to the fruit
for distilled oil production. Before considering the equipment in detail, the requirements for
taste on serving. The product is preserved with sulphur dioxide (SO2) which also protects it market in a state where they still fetch a good price. Making the limes into lime juice can alleviate
lime fruit processing should be first assessed on the throughput of the crushing unit relevant to
against colour changes with time. The essential manufacturing steps involved are as follows: these problems. The technology required is simple and due to the very acidic juice of limes (pH
the quantities of fruit to be handled.
2.0), spoilage or food hygiene problems are minimal. Lime juice is popular as it is an important
ingredient in many a cuisine, or can be made into a drink. The skin can be incorporated into lime
Wash limes
Harvesting pickle to reduce wastage.
| It is generally accepted that the best compromise, from the point of view of both quality and
quantity of lime products, is obtained by processing mature but not fully ripe fruit, ie half
Crush the limes Recipe
| yellow/half green limes. Juice from unripe limes is said to have a more 'interesting' flavour than
Raw lime juice
Rack the juice juice obtained from fully ripe limes. The distilled oil from unripe fruit is also said to be superior
Preservative (Sulphur dioxide 350ppm) derived from sodium metabisulphite
| in quality.
Clarified juice Preservatives are controlled by legal limits, these limits vary from country to country, you should
| Preparation for processing check the limits at your Bureau of Standards.
Mix clarified juice with Only sound fruit should be crushed; over-ripe, rotten and damaged limes should be removed
hot sugar & syrup before washing. Method
(pasteurisation takes place during the mixing stage) Wash whole fruits and discard any bad fruit.
| Limes should be thoroughly washed with cold water before processing so that they are perfectly
Bottle & cap clean when entering the crusher. This is particularly important when limes have been picked-up Cut the fruits in half and squeeze out the juice by hand or with a squeezer (this can be two grooved
| from the ground as they may be very muddy in the rainy season and all mud must be removed. wooden rollers). Separate the seeds from the juice. The yield of juice from whole limes is 40%.
Cool
| Rotary cage-type washers work very well, also water jets can be sprayed on conveyor belts along Pasteurise the juice at 90°C for one minute in a stainless steel saucepan, or earthenware pot.
Label which the limes travel from the arrival point to the crushers. Pasteurisation of the lime juice stops separation and browning during storage.

Another conveyor belt, for final inspection, is needed to remove any damaged, fruit and to Hot fill the juice into clean, sterilised bottles and lie the bottles on their side to cool. One 190ml
Lime juice is very acidic and it is important that workers are provided with protective gloves to transport the limes to the crusher. bottle holds the juice from approximately 16 lime fruits.
avoid damage to the hands. Only inert materials can be used to process lime juice as it will
The two main types of equipment employed for crushing limes are the roller-crusher or a screw Process summary
rapidly corrode steel. Stainless steel, plastic, glass and wood are recommended.
press expeller. Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages:
Halved Wash limes
At small-scale, simple hand-squeezers 
can be used to extract juice but the fruit Hopper Roller-crusher
Squeeze/extract the juice
yields obtained will be a lower than Triple granite rollers crush the limes and press out juice and oil. As a result there is not a great 
those obtained from the heavy stone Figure 1: A wooden roller deal of fine pulp present in the raw juice and the product tends to settle fairly rapidly, settling Add sodium metabisulphate
roller-crushers or screw-presses used in press often being complete within 2 or 3 weeks. Rollers need relatively little adjustment, but cannot 
large plants. A small-scale wooden Illustration: Neil Noble / Practical extract at as high a rate as the screw press. Pasteurise
Action 
roller press was developed and used
with success in Sri Lanka. This press Grooved rollers of The throughput of limes is 1½-2 tons an hour, when using rollers 30" long and 10" in diameter, Bottle
(shown diagrammatically in Figure 1) unequal size. Made but the actual throughput depends to a large extent on the efficiency of feeding the fruit to the 
consists of a hopper that feeds lime from hard wood. rollers. This size of machine should deal with about 100 tons of limes a week. The roller mill is Cap
considered to give a good quality settled juice, with separation from top pulp/oil after about 2 
fruits that have previously been cut in
weeks storage in vats. Cool
half, between two rotating hard wood Sieve 
rollers. The rollers are grooved along Label
their
Juice tank

Practical Action, The Schumacher Centre, Bourton on Dunsmore, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV23 9QZ, UK Practical Action, The Schumacher Centre, Bourton on Dunsmore, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV23 9QZ, UK
Practical Action, The Schumacher Centre, Bourton on Dunsmore, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV23 9QZ, UK T +44 (0)1926 634400 | F +44 (0)1926 634401 | E infoserv@practicalaction.org.uk | W www.practicalaction.org T +44 (0)1926 634400 | F +44 (0)1926 634401 | E infoserv@practicalaction.org.uk | W www.practicalaction.org
T +44 (0)1926 634400 | F +44 (0)1926 634401 | E infoserv@practicalaction.org.uk | W www.practicalaction.org ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Practical Action is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee. Practical Action is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee.
Practical Action is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee. Company Reg. No. 871954, England | Reg. Charity No.247257 | VAT No. 880 9924 76 | Company Reg. No. 871954, England | Reg. Charity No.247257 | VAT No. 880 9924 76 |
Company Reg. No. 871954, England | Reg. Charity No.247257 | VAT No. 880 9924 76 | Patron HRH The Prince of Wales, KG, KT, GCB Patron HRH The Prince of Wales, KG, KT, GCB
Patron HRH The Prince of Wales, KG, KT, GCB

Lime Juice recipes

MIXED FRUIT JUICE

PASSION FRUIT JUICE SMALL-SCALE
SMALL-SCALE MANUFACTURE MANUFACTURE
This is a recipe for a mixed fruit (ready to drink) juice, using pineapple and passion fruit.
Passion fruit has a very strong, sharp flavour, which complements pineapple juice as this is
rather weak in taste and colour. The yield of juice from whole passion fruit is approximately
Passion fruit is found in many tropical and sub-tropical countries, it is an ovoid shaped fruit that 30-35% and the juice has a pH from 2.6-3.0. The larger fruits give a better yield. The yield for
produces juice with a very strong exotic flavour, and a bright orange colour. pineapple is approximately 30% and the pH of the juice varies 3.4-4.1. The Mauritius variety
has the best flavoured juice, but the Kewpine variety gives better yields. Pineapples contain the
The juice has a pH 2.6-3.0 and an unusually high starch content. There are approximately enzyme Bromelain. This is a proteolytic enzyme (breaks down proteins) which can cause
25-35 fruits to the kilo. The bigger fruits (more than 30g) are more suitable for processing as problems for peoples' hands which are in contact with the juice for long periods during cutting
they have more juice and less rind. There are two important commercial varieties, purple operations. Gloves should therefore be worn and washed each day.
passion fruit (Passiflora edulis), and yellow passion fruit, (Passiflora edulis forma flavicarpa), the
latter has larger fruits, a more acidic juice, and a less preferred flavour. The fruits are most Recipe
suitable for processing when all greenness has disappeared and the outer skin has a smooth or Sugar 17%
slightly crinkled surface. Passion fruit juice 3%
Pineapple juice 9%
The fresh whole fruit can only be stored for a few days at ambient temperature before it Water 71%
deteriorates. At 6.5°C they can be stored for 3-4 weeks before any major deterioration. The Colouring ?%
pulp can be stored for long periods in bulk with 1000-1500ppm of sulphur dioxide or benzoic Sodium benzoate 0.0188% (188ppm)
acid or a mixture of both, but there is a reduction in the quality of the flavour. During heat
preservation the main problem to overcome is the loss of the extremely heat sensitive flavour, Benzoic acid is a preservative, which is added to the juice in the form of the salt sodium
which is susceptible to quick oxidation. benzoate. (188ppm of sodium benzoate will give 160ppm of Benzoic acid.) Preservatives are
controlled by legal limits, these limits vary from country to country and should be checked at
The seeds are not suitable for stock feeding due to their very high crude fibre content. However, your Bureau of Standards.
they are of use in the manufacture of soap, paint, varnish and cooking oils after refining.
Method
The skin of passion fruit is a good source of pectin and makes good manure. It can also be used
Wash whole passion fruits in clean water and discard any bad fruits.
to make an artificial pears-in-sugar product.
Cut fruits in half with a stainless steel knife and scoop out pulp with stainless steel spoon.
Recipe
Juice 9% (to make 400 x 190ml bottles
Extract the juice from the pulp by liquidising the pulp at a very low speed (this stops the
Sugar 13% requires approximately 26kg
chipping of the seeds, which turn out as black specks in the juice, they are very hard to remove
Water 73% of passion fruit, and 11kg of
and look like dirt) for about one minute. Tip the contents into a muslin cloth and squeeze out
Salt 0.7% sugar).
the juice leaving the seeds behind. Liquidise the juice only, at high speed, this reduces the
Skin pulp 5%
particle size and so helps to reduce settling in the final product.
Sodium benzoate 0.0188% (188ppm) (preservative)
Remove stalks and tops from the pineapple fruits, cut off the outer cortex and pick out the
160ppm of Benzoic acid.
'eyes'. Cut the fruit into pieces, discarding any fruit which is bad.
Preservatives are controlled by legal limits, these limits vary from country to country and should
be checked at your Bureau of Standards.

Practical Action, The Schumacher Centre, Bourton on Dunsmore, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV23 9QZ, UK
T +44 (0)1926 634400 | F +44 (0)1926 634401 | E infoserv@practicalaction.org.uk | W www.practicalaction.org
Practical Action, The Schumacher Centre, Bourton on Dunsmore, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV23 9QZ, UK
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
T +44 (0)1926 634400 | F +44 (0)1926 634401 | E infoserv@practicalaction.org.uk | W www.practicalaction.org
Practical Action is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Company Reg. No. 871954, England | Reg. Charity No.247257 | VAT No. 880 9924 76 |
Practical Action is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee.
Patron HRH The Prince of Wales, KG, KT, GCB
Company Reg. No. 871954, England | Reg. Charity No.247257 | VAT No. 880 9924 76 |
Patron HRH The Prince of Wales, KG, KT, GCB

Passion Fruit Juice Mixed Fruit Juice

See your personal account to download these documents

 SINGLE SPARK

CHAPTER FIVE

BOOKLETS ABOUT FRUIT JUICE

See your online account to read interesting booklet about fruit juice production and recipes.

Fruit Juice Processing

This booklet explains in an easy about the fruit juice process. It looks at juice extraction, preparation, pasteurization,
bottling, quality control, and equipment suppliers.

Lime Juice Clear Cordial

This describes a manufacturing system capable of producing up to 250 bottles of lime juice cordial per day using
simple, comparatively low-cost

Lime Oil and Juice

The production of oil and juice from limes on a commercial scale requires the use of a range of equipment which is
described in this

Fruit juice processing FAO booklet

A lot of information about hoe to start small scale fruit juice processing businesses. Interesting information per type
of fruit in: “PART 2“

Food Processing BUILDING DESIGN

Information about floor plan and building design to process food or fruit
 SINGLE SPARK

CHAPTER SIX

BUY ONLINE
Some equipment and materials can’t be bought locally or are very expensive. On the internet
there are several websites to buy materials and equipment from abroad. Alibaba and Ebay are
the most popular ones. With the use of clear videos this chapter explains how Ebay works. To
purchase products online you need a Creditcard or a free PayPal account. For PayPal you only
need your bank account. The tutorial for Paypal is also included in this chapter.

Worldwide marketplace
www.ebay.com

Online payment system

www.paypal.com

These are the steps you need to take to create an Ebay account, create a Paypal ac-
count, to link them together, and to buy your first product online.

1 2 3 4 5

1 Create an Ebay account (see online video: How To Create an Ebay Account)

2 Create a PayPal-account (see online video: How to Make a PayPal Business Account and link your
bank account)
3 Verify your PayPal-account with your email address (video: How to Verify Your PayPal Account)

4 Link your PayPal-account to your Ebay-account (video: How to Link Your PayPal Account With Ebay)

5 Purchase your product (video: How to Buy on Ebay)

See your personal account to watch the videos

 SINGLE SPARK

© 2015 by Single Spark.

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in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,
or otherwise, without prior written permission of Single Spark.

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www.singlespark.nl
+31(0)646902592 SINGLE SPARK
Your business-in-a-box!