Most of the time, drivers are told to be aware of how hot a car can get when left in the sun. This is because summers and hot weather are happening more and more often. as a result juices such as apple juice left in hot cars can be seriously damaged, destroyed, or even set off by the heat.
In this blog, we will discuss with you if apple juice left in the car for a long time is still safe to drink or not, and the effects it may have if you’ve already consumed it.
Does apple juice go bad in heat?
Beverages are one of the things that are kept in a car that can be seriously damaged, destroyed, or even set off an explosion by the heat. If food or drinks are left in a hot car for more than an hour, they are no longer safe to eat or drink. Throw juices that are sitting out for more than two hours, unless they are in a sealed container.
Even if the juice doesn’t look like it’s going bad, it could still be full of dangerous amounts of microorganisms and the toxins they make. Some juice brands give their products a little more freedom, but it’s not much longer than what the US FDA says, and it probably doesn’t happen overnight.
It is true that some juices have a much lower chance of making you sick than others do. There are two important things to keep in mind: acidity and pasteurization. Apple juice in bottles or cardboard cartons that doesn’t need to be kept cold should be kept in a cool, dark place. If it’s in a container, make sure to keep it away from light and heat. This is because the juice is sensitive to changes in light and temperature.
Keep it away from heat sources and, if it’s in a bottle, keep it out of the light. This is because both changes in temperature and light can be bad for the juice. The best place to keep apple juice that hasn’t been opened is probably in the pantry, but a kitchen cabinet will also work.
How long can you keep apple juice?
When you open the container, you should consume the liquid within 7 to 10 days or freeze it. The best time to drink homemade apple juice is the day you make it. But if you can’t do that, it can stay safe in the fridge for about 3–5 days.
If juice has been sitting out for more than two hours, it shouldn’t be drunk.
This goes for all juice containers that need to be refrigerated, and really for all food items that need to be eaten quickly.
The “Danger Zone” is the range of temperatures from 40 to 140 °F. At this temperature range, bacteria can grow quickly, and this bacteria can make you sick. (supply)
Is apple juice left in hot car safe to drink?
If it’s hotter than 90 °F (32 °C) in your home, the rule is to wait an hour.
After just one hour in these hot temperatures, the juice has to be thrown away. This is true, for example, if you leave a bottle of juice that has already been opened in a hot car.
Presently, numerous people would then contend with this strict policy. Even known juice websites says to wait three hours instead of the usual two. If you ask your friends about this, you might hear that they pass over juice all the time and have never gotten sick.
Before you drink juice left in hot car. Does it matter how the juice looks?
It’s true that some juices are much less likely to make you sick than others. Pasteurization as well as acidity are two important things to think about.
Many juices you buy at the store are pasteurized.
This is a way to heat something up to kill dangerous bacteria. If a juice was pasteurized, there’s far less danger of dangerous microorganisms. The risk is higher with cold-pressed or “raw” juice.
Many fruit juices are very acidic.
With orange juice, cranberry juice, lemon juice, grapefruit juice, and other juices that are very acidic, it won’t be easy for bacteria to grow in their acidic environment. So it’s better to leave these out than juices like pear juice, which isn’t as acidic.
Still, there is always some risk. Even if you heat up the juice to kill the bacteria, it won’t get rid of all the possible toxins that the bacteria could have made. So there’s always a chance of something going wrong if you leave the juice out for a day.
If you forgot about your juice for a day, you shouldn’t try to “figure out” if it went bad by looking at it, smelling it, or tasting it. By using your senses alone, you might not be able to tell exactly how many pathogenic bacteria have grown.
How do you preserve fresh juice?
Check for the following signs that your apple juice has gone south before you drink it: If the container were about to blow up. When bacteria eat the food in the pouch, they give off gas. This gas starts to build inside the pouch because it can’t get out of the sealed packet. This makes the pouch get bigger. When it tastes pretty bitter, it is also important. At higher temperatures and with more oxygen, the enzyme works better and produces more bitterness. If something smells bad. In warm places, bacteria that cause odors grow more quickly, which makes enzymes work faster. These can help you figure out why some juice has gone bad.
Tips for Storing Your Juice
The best way to drink juice is right away. However, for many of us, making juice in advance can save a lot of time. Being ready can make it easier to drink juice on a regular basis.
So what happens if we start making them in advance? We put them away! The ability to store juice can save a juicer. Work, travel, personal issues, and a heavy workload can all make it hard to drink freshly made juices right away.
You may only be able to commit to a detox diet or even drink juices regularly if you can start making them ahead of time.
The best way to keep nutrients from getting worse for as long as possible is to understand exactly how to store them:
- Use airtight glass containers to store your juices.
- Store your juices as soon as you’re done making them.
- Fill your juice bottle as close to the top as you can to keep oxygen from getting in.
- Add a piece of citrus like a lemon, lime, or grapefruit. This can help stop the loss of nutrients by making your juice higher in vitamin C, citric acid, and other antioxidants .
- Always keep your juices in a cool, dark place. If you’re going on a trip, it’s best to use a cooler bag with cold packs to keep as many nutrients as possible.
Store juices in the fridge for 24–48 hours, and at most 72 hours.
If you want to keep beverages for longer periods of time than that, we think you should freeze them. If you are going to freeze them, don’t fill them all the way to the top so they have room to grow. Leave at least half an inch on top. When thawing them, it’s best to do so in the fridge and drink them right away.
Oxidation is the process that makes apples turn brown so quickly. This is just how the nutrient compounds react when they are expose to oxygen. Oxidation creates more damage to juice because oxidation breaks the cell wall of vegetables and fruits juice. This exposes the nutrients to air, heat, and light, which all contribute to the breakdown of nutrients over time. The nutrients in juice will become oxidized and damaged the longer it sits around.
After 72 hours in the fridge:
- Your juice will lose a lot of nutrients.
- Because of the increased loss of nutrients and oxidation, the juice will also look dull and darker.
- The taste will also change, and it might not be very good.
- If you keep your juice in the fridge for too long, it may grow bacteria that are bad for your health and give you an upset stomach.
Buy only HPP juices. Pressed juices keep the nutrients without using heat.
If you follow our tips for storing juices, you can be sure you are getting the most out of them.
Conclusion: Is apple juice left in hot car safe to drink?
The US Food and Drug Administration says that perishable foods like juices should be in the fridge. It can only be left out at room temperature for two hours before they become unsafe to eat.
Juice that has been left out for more than two hours, even for a day, should be thrown away unless it is in an unopened, shelf-stable package. Even if the juice doesn’t look like it’s going bad, it could still have dangerous levels of bacteria and toxins made by these bacteria.
