Make Noni Juice

Noni juice is easy to make as long as you have patience and a couple of months to spare. The potent fruit juice has long been held as a natural health remedy, and the antioxidants it contains are thought to help fight heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Other claims suggest that it can also help reduce chronic pain, boost energy, and battle obesity and indigestion. The high potassium levels in noni juice can lead to kidney damage, however, so it should only be consumed in small quantities.

Steps

1. Sterilize a large jar. Fill the jar with hot, soapy water and allow it to soak for at least five minutes. Scrub the inside and outside of the jar with a clean sponge or washcloth and rinse with hot water.
   • Choose a jar made of glass or food-grade plastic. Metal and plastic jars that are not food-grade may shed potentially harmful chemicals into the juice as it ferments.
   • The jar must be at least 6 inches (15 centimeters) tall by 4 inches (10 centimeters) in diameter. The average noni fruit is about 4 to 5 inches tall (10 to 13 centimeters).
2. Pick ripe noni fruit. Ripe noni fruit is a honey-yellow color. It is important that you pick the fruit before it turns completely white. If picking noni fruits by hand instead of purchasing them, remove the fruit carefully to avoid snapping the thin branches of the plant.
3. Wash the fruit and allow it to dry. Rinse the noni fruit under running water to remove any dirt. Place them in the sun and allow the fruit to dry for several hours. After several hours pass, the flesh will appear soft and translucent. The fruit will also begin to take on a foul odor. This is the stage you want the noni fruit to reach before fermenting.
4. Place the fruit into the jar and seal it with a lid. Fix the lid firmly onto the container, but do not take any additional measures to make the jar airtight. Allowing air to flow into the container openly can lead to contamination, making the lid necessary. Gases build up during the fermentation process, however. If you do not have a big enough jar, they can create a dangerous amount of pressure, but many of these gases may be able to force themselves out through the small gap that exists between the lid and container.
5. Allow the noni to ferment for six to eight weeks. Place the jar outside, preferably in a sunny location. During this time, the juice will seep out of the fruit naturally. It is initially a light amber color, but it will darken as the weeks pass.
6. Remove the sediment using a filter or strainer. Juice is not the only thing to develop as the juice ferments. Pulp and other debris will also be mixed into the juice and must be filtered out. Pour the juice through a wire mesh strainer with small gaps and into a second sterilized jar. The juice should pour through relatively easily and should not need much, if any, assistance to flow through the mesh.
   • You can also use silkscreen, paint strainers, or cheesecloth to make sure that as much sediment as possible is separated from the noni juice.
7. Pasteurize the juice. You can drink unpasteurized juice, but pasteurized juice lasts longer and is safer to drink. Place the open jar of noni juice into a pot of boiling water. The water level should cover that of the juice, but it should not be so high that it threatens to enter the mouth of the jar. Once the temperature of the juice reaches 180 degrees Fahrenheit (82.2 degrees Celsius), allow the juice to boil for 30 minutes before removing the jar from the water.
8. Test the pH of the juice. Use litmus paper to check the pH of the juice. Properly fermented juice should have a pH of 3.5 or less. Anything higher may suggest that the noni juice has been contaminated.
9. Seal the jar and store the juice inside the refrigerator. Fermented noni juice can technically be stored at room temperature for an indefinite period of time, but storing it in the refrigerator ensures optimal freshness. As a general rule, you may also want to consider disposing of fermented noni juice after two years just to keep your supply as fresh as possible.

Tips

• Drink 1 to 2 ounces (30 to 60 milliliters) of noni juice per day to gain the full benefit of the juice. If the juice tastes too strong, you can mix it into other fruit juices or sweeten it with a little agave.

Warnings

• Overly cloudy juice or juice with a high pH should be discarded, as these are both signs of bacterial contamination. You should also discard the juice if it has an exceptionally foul taste.
• Avoid noni juice if you have chronic kidney disease, liver disease, or diabetes. The potassium levels in noni juice make it a threat to those with kidney disease and may even cause liver damage. The high levels of glucose in noni fruit also makes the juice potentially hazardous to people with diabetes.

Things You'll Need

• Two large glass jars with lids
• Mesh strainer, silkscreen, paint strainer, or cheesecloth
• Large pot
• Food thermometer
• Litmus paper

Sources and Citations

• University of Hawaii at Manoa - College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources: The Noni Website - Harvesting and Processing
• Puna Noni: How to Make Noni Juice

See also

• Make a Honey and Banana Smoothie
• Buy Milk
• Make a Zinger Juice
• Make Guava Juice
• Quench Thirst Fast
• Make Chicha Morada
• Make Juice Recipes
• Perform a Juice Fast
• Open a Bottle Without a Bottle Opener
• Juice Wheatgrass

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