Public Funding for Maynard House Limited

The demand for nutrient-rich fruit and vegetable juices with reduced sugar content is rising steadily each year within the UK, as consumers strive to achieve a healthier lifestyle. As supermarket sales account for 80% of the market within this industry, a good shelf life for produce is necessary. To achieve this, the vast majority of fruit & vegetable juices are processed by heat sterilisation (pasteurisation), including the well-established Innocent Smoothies. Although this process is successful at killing any harmful pathogens, it also substantially reduces levels of vitamins, nutrients and enzymes present in the juices; subsequently affecting taste, smell and colour. Since there are notably fewer health benefits to drinking fruit & vegetable juices which have been treated using pasteurisation techniques, there is a clear need to develop an alternative processing method which will drive the fruit and vegetable juice/smoothie market to distribute healthier produce and continue growth. Our idea is to develop an innovative new technique for processing juices/smoothies (without heat treatment and at much lower cost than high pressure processing) by employing ultrasonic technology. The technique will prolong the shelf life of fresh juices, but without loss of vitamins and enzymes to generate healthier, more nutritious products. Our goal is to establish a clear ‘proof of concept’ for pathogen inactivation in juice using ultrasonic technology and create a novel processing chamber and system specification. The development of this technology would enable juice/smoothie manufacturers to capitalise on new business opportunities and provide significant health benefits for the population; consumers will be able to increase their fruit & vegetable intake by making healthier juices more economical and widely available.