Cloud destruction in aseptically filled citrus juice

Upon examining aseptic juice bottles which were withdrawn from industrial cold storage, clarification was observed in a high percentage of the bottles. In order to study the cause of the clarification, juices were inoculated with microorganisms which had been isolated from the production system. It became evident that only molds were able to clarify juices, probably through extracellular enzymes. The activity of these enzymes was studied. No chemical changes were found in the clarified juice, except for an increase in methanol content. The probable sources of contamination could be the fruit itself, the equipment or the atmosphere surrounding the processing line. Spores of molds when present in aseptic filled juice offer a real damage to the future quality of the product.