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Hawaiian Punch
Hawaiian Punch is a product owned by the Keurig Dr. Pepper Company. It was initially made in 1934 as a syrup for topping ice cream and was only sold to retailers like ice cream parlors. The original syrup contained 5 percent fruit that was imported from Hawaii – hence the name.
Other ingredients included sugar and preservatives. The chosen fruits, namely, pineapple, orange, guava, papaya, and passion fruit, gave the mixture a tropical flavor that was extremely popular.
Later, customers realized that the syrup tasted good as a cold beverage when mixed with water. So the company started selling it as ready-to-drink Hawaiian Punch in cans after the war. It was also sold as a frozen concentrate.
Does Hawaiian Punch Need to Be Refrigerated?
Is it necessary to refrigerate a bottle of Hawaiian Punch?
A bottle of Hawaiian Punch is 95 percent added sugar and preservatives. Only a tiny 5 percent is fresh fruits and fruit flavorings. Thus, an unopened bottle of Hawaiian Punch can be stored inside a pantry unrefrigerated for 6 to 9 months. 6 months if the storage room is relatively warm, and 9 months under perfect conditions.
This is why carbonated drinks like Coca-Cola, 100 percent processed sugars and preservatives, last for a long time. So, we can safely conclude that Hawaiian Punch that has not been opened does not require any refrigeration.
Opened bottle
An opened bottle is different, though, and has to be refrigerated. Once opened, bacteria and other microorganisms living in the surrounding environment will contaminate the contents and multiply if the product is kept at room temperature.
Two types of bacteria will live inside the juice bottle once it’s opened, pathogenic bacteria and spoilage bacteria. Spoilage bacteria are less harmful because they merely cause your fruit punch to develop an unpleasant odor, taste, and texture. However, spoilage bacteria are not harmful. They will only turn your drink bad and are easy to detect by the smell.
There are many pathogenic foodborne bacteria, but the main two found inside an opened juice bottle will be E. coli and Bacillus cereus. These two types of pathogenic bacteria are not deadly but will cause a lot of pain and suffering.
For example, when ingested, Bacillus cereus can cause diarrhea that lasts for 6 to 15 hours and vomiting that lasts for 30 minutes to 6 hours. Drinking E. Coli-infested Hawaiian Punch will cause even more damage because ingesting E. Coli causes severe diarrhea for 5 to 10 days.
Pathogenic bacteria, aside from causing you to become very ill, are also unidentifiable. Unlike the spoilage bacteria, they don’t produce any unpleasant odor, and you will not see if they contaminate the food. This is why it’s necessary to refrigerate your Hawaiian Fruit Punch after opening.
An opened bottle of Hawaiian Fruit Punch, when refrigerated, will only last for 5 to 7 days maximum. This is because pathogenic bacteria inside your Hawaiian Punch will become inactive when subjected to fridge temperatures lower than 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
However, spoilage bacteria can still thrive even under these low refrigerator temperatures. As a result, it will spoil your bottle of Hawaiian Punch. So, it’s necessary to finish your Hawaiian Punch bottle in under 5 days.
Read the USDA’s research article on the importance of food refrigeration if you want to understand more about foodborne illnesses.