"Natural cloudy" apple juice is normally stored under sterile conditions in single strength. The situation is different with clear juice, which is still predominant in volume terms. Clear juice is made primarily by diluting concentrate of approx. 70° Brix.

It is necessary to stabilise the dearomatised concentrate in order to prevent subsequent turbidity due to the reaction of phenolic compounds and proteins. Fining agents such as gelatine and silica sol and/or enzymes are normally used for this process. Precise pilot tests are necessary for an optimum effect.

In comparison with the process used for press juices, the process used for decanter juices has to be modified due to the different structure and concentration of colloidal and coarsely dispersed trub particles. The ultrafiltration process has become established in recent years for polishing the stable supernatant which occurs during the fining process.

Separators and decanters are used in two areas during stabilisation:

Fining trub can be clarified by means of decanters or separators using the HydroStop ejection system.