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Fruit & Vegetable Juice Testing

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Fruit and vegetable juices offer numerous health benefits, making them popular choices for consumers. However, their susceptibility to spoilage requires rigorous testing to ensure safety. At Twin Arbor Labs, we utilize industry-accepted methods to analyze your juice for microbial contamination, ensuring your products are safe for all consumers, especially those with weakened immune systems. Protect your brand and consumers with our comprehensive testing services.

The Alicyclobacillus spp. Problem

Alicyclobacillus species have emerged as a major concern for the juice industry, accounting for approximately 30% of juice spoilage incidents. Unlike traditional contaminants, Alicyclobacillus often causes spoilage without noticeable signs like can swelling. This stealthy nature makes it difficult to detect until consumers report issues. Even low levels of Alicyclobacillus can lead to product spoilage, emphasizing the need for rigorous testing.

Protect Your Juice Brand with Alicyclobacillus Testing

To safeguard your juice products from Alicyclobacillus contamination and ensure consumer satisfaction, reliable testing is essential. Our laboratory offers advanced Alicyclobacillus testing services to help you:

  • Identify potential contamination early.

  • Prevent product recalls and financial losses.

  • Maintain brand reputation and consumer trust.

Contact us today to learn more about our Alicyclobacillus testing solutions and how we can help you protect your juice business

Image by Birgith Roosipuu
Image by Birgith Roosipuu
Safety Concerns

In unpasteurized juices, food borne outbreaks associated with contamination are most often attributed to E. coli (STEC), Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus. However, Listeria species should also be taken into consideration as they are able to survive throughout the entire juice production line. 

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Pasteurized juices, although inherently safer due to the overall lower microbial loads, can still contain spoilage microbes from extremely heat resistant spores that are able to survive thermal pasteurization. These include Clostridium botulinum, Bacillus and Alicyclobacillus species. Due to Alicyclobacillus species high prevalence in the juice industry it has been proposed as a target microorganism to control the effectiveness of the pasteurization process in acidic fruit juices.

Suggested Microbial Services

  • qPCR analyses:

    • We utilize qPCR analysis, a DNA approach, to screen for both spoilage microbes as well as food pathogens.

      • For spoilage microbes we can typically get results in 24-48 hours, compared to traditional culture/plating techniques. This can be a huge advantage in mitigating potential spoilage events before they get to market.

      • This system can also be used to verify that newly implemented processes such as filtration or sterilization are effective by screening the product before and after.

      • For our food pathogen qPCR analysis, samples are enriched for 24-48 hours prior to analysis to promote growth of food pathogens that maybe in low abundance or under stress. 

  • Shelf-life studies:

    • This reveals the stability of your product over time. Analytical tests can be added to a microbial stability study that provide insight into whether decomposition of flavor compounds occurs, or whether heavy metals are present due to leaching or corrosion of the packaging material.

Suggested Analytical Services

  • pH​

  • Total acidity

  • Total sugar (glucose, fructose, sucrose)

  • Vitamins

  • Amino acids

  • Mineral and heavy metals

  • Juice preservative quantification (sodium benzoate, Benzaldehyde)

  • Mycotoxins (aflatoxins, ochratoxin A)

  • Guaiacol (a primary spoilage compound associated with Alicyclobacillus species)

  • Residual Pesticides

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