PASSION FRUIT JUICE
SMALL-SCALE MANUFACTURE
Passion fruit is found in many tropical and sub-tropical countries, it is an ovoid shaped fruit that
produces juice with a very strong exotic flavour, and a bright orange colour.
The juice has a pH 2.6-3.0 and an unusually high starch content. There are approximately
25-35 fruits to the kilo. The bigger fruits (more than 30g) are more suitable for processing as
they have more juice and less rind. There are two important commercial varieties, purple
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
suitable for processing when all greenness has disappeared and the outer skin has a smooth or
slightly crinkled surface.
The fresh whole fruit can only be stored for a few days at ambient temperature before it
deteriorates. At 6.5°C they can be stored for 3-4 weeks before any major deterioration. The
pulp can be stored for long periods in bulk with 1000-1500ppm of sulphur dioxide or benzoic
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,
which is susceptible to quick oxidation.
The seeds are not suitable for stock feeding due to their very high crude fibre content. However,
they are of use in the manufacture of soap, paint, varnish and cooking oils after refining.
The skin of passion fruit is a good source of pectin and makes good manure. It can also be used
to make an artificial pears-in-sugar product.
Recipe
Juice
Sugar
Water
Salt
Skin pulp
Sodium benzoate
9%
13%
73%
0.7%
5%
0.0188%
(to make 400 x 190ml bottles
requires approximately 26kg
of passion fruit, and 11kg of
sugar).
(188ppm) (preservative)
160ppm of Benzoic acid.
Preservatives are controlled by legal limits, these limits vary from country to country and should
be checked at your Bureau of Standards.
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