Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-06-16
GRAPEFRUIT JUICE IS
SUMMER BEVERAGE
Bottling of Fluid For Use in Acid
Drinks Is Recommended by
Many Housewives

A simple method of bottling the
juice of grapefruit for use in making
acid beverages is advocated by the de-
partment as means of gaining a USE
full byproduct from hundreds of thou
sands of cases of grapefruit which
now are wasted. An investigation was
undertaken at the urgent request of
Florida grapefruit growers who re-
ported that the market during the
season would not take up a large pro-
potion of the grapefruit crop, and
asked the department to determine
the possibility of utilizing the fruit or
Its juice in some profitable way.
All that is necessary, according to
the Governments fruit juice special
lists, is to bring the grapefruit juice
to the boiling point in a porcelain
lined or enameled kettle, pour it while
still hot into bottles, which then are
Theoretically sealed. The juice when
so handled will keep indefinitely, and
provides base for grapefruit-ade or
other acid beverages having the char
acteristic acid, somewhat bitter, flavor
of the fruit. Experiments show, how
ever, that it is highly important that
the bottle be completely filled so that
no layer of air be left between the top
of the juice and the cork or seal.
Where air in any amount comes in
contact with the top of the sterilized
juice 1t will cause the juice to change
its color. In handling the juice it is
particularly important that it be kept
from coming into contact with iron or
other metals easily acted upon by
acids.
The investigators found, also, that 1t
was possible to freeze the grapefruit
juice into solid ice and then, by whirl-
ing the ice in a centrifugal machine,
to take out large part of the water
and leave the solids and fiavoring
matter of the fruit. This freezing and
concentrating of the juice greatly re-
duces the bulk and makes a product
which can be sterilized by heating and
kept indefinitely. Care must be taken
to keep the juice from coming in con-
tact with iron.
Those who wish to make q clear
juice may filter the grapefruit juice
before it is heated by adding to 1t from
to per cent (about 3 ounces avoir-
dupois to the gallon) of infusorial or
Fullers earth well washed with hot
water. The mixture is then forced
through a nonmetallic filter press and
the clear juice reheated and boiled.
With the freezing process the juice is
filtered after concentration, about
twice the amount of infusorial or Full
ler's earth being used per gallon OF
concentrate.
The chemists, in connection with
this bottling of grapefruit juice, notify
the public that the same process is
not suitable for bottling the juice of
oranges and lemons, which will not
retain their flavor if handled in this
way.
While as yet, as far as known, there
| is no commercial market for sterilized
grapefruit juice, it is believed that
many persons will find this juice. a
pleasant variation from lemonade or
limeade. Those who like grapefruit
should find the beverage inviting. The
method is so simple that those in re-
gions where grapefruit are cheap and
plentiful can prepare this product on
small scale with ordinary household
appliances.