Short Note

The Chill-Thaw Method for Noni Juice Extraction*

Harr y W. Sakulas, A. H. Harakuwe , S. Rungwa , P. Wang iwan , J. Wau ,
W. Ku ipa and D. T imi * *
Environment Research & Management Centre, PNG University of Technology, PMB, Lae, MP 411.
Fax: (+675)4757667. Phone: (+675)4734689. E-mail: hsakulas@ermc.unitech.ac.pg
Ab stract
An improved method for the extraction of juice from the ripe fruits of noni
(Morinda citrifolia L.) was developed. In contrast to the standard mechanical press
and traditional leaching methods, the improved method entails a chillingthawing
step. The pros and cons of this extra step discussed.
The modified method yielded 59% v/m of noni juice compared to 53% v/m and
41% v/m noni juice using the standard press and traditional leaching methods,
respectively. For our commercial purposes, an error margin of 5% is allowed. The
results show a difference of 6% v/m and 18% v/m between the improved method
and the standard press and leaching methods respectively. On the other hand,
differences of +12% v/m and 22% v/m between the standard press method and
the new/improved and traditional leaching methods, respectively.
Additionally, the improved method yields a relatively light brown juice as
compared to the dark brown (blackish) of the other two methods. Also, the juice
produced using the improved method is devoid of the off odour and bitterness.
Keywords
Noni juice, Morinda citrifolia, chill-thaw processing method
1.

I ntroduc ti on 1, , 2, 3, 4, 5

The noni fruit from Morinda citrifolia

(RUBIACEAE) has been used by the
Pacific Islanders [1] and other ancient
races for millennia as a panacea for a
wide range of internal and external
ailments and afflictions. Excellent as a
detoxifying or purgative agent, noni is
said to cure cancer, scabies, acne, lower
blood pressure, etc. Anecdotal evidence
1

from Maprik has it that noni was used to

treat baldness (i.e. hair re-growth) [2]
and induce lactation in older women.
Noni is the second most popular plant
used
in
herbal
remedies
with
approximately 40 known and recorded
formulations [3].
With the increasing costs of synthetic
drugs and medical treatment, many are
forced to return to the traditional herbal
remedies. Due to its reputation as a
panacea, it is not surprising that many
are turning to noni. Nonis medicinal
efficacy has been turned into a money
spinner and it is now processed and sold
commercially by many Polynesian
countries. The use of noni juice has
increased in the past decade with 80
million litres consumed [4].
The processing of noni juice was
done traditionally by fermentation and

Reference: EPNGv2i213. Received: 29

September 2010. Revised: 9 December.
Accepted: 10 December 2010.
Roots Organic Products, P.O. Box 1030,
Goroka, EHP. E-mail: rootsop@hotmail.com
Postgraduate student in Applied Science and
ERMC.
Food Technology Section, Applied Science
Department, PNGUT, PMB, Lae, MP.
Applied Chemistry Section, Applied Science
Department, PNGUT, PMB, Lae, MP. E-mail:
dtimi@appsci.unitech.ac.pg
Environment Papua New Guinea, Vol. 2, Issue 2 (December, 2010)
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Sakulas, Harakuwe, Rungwa, Wangiwan, Wau, Kuipa and Timi

gravity filtration, i.e. the fruit was

allowed to ripen and when the pericarp
cracked, the juice was collected either by
gravity-feed (leaching) or by application
of pressure. This method is time
consuming and is exposed to changes
induced
by
oxidation
and/or
fermentation processes. It produces
juice with unacceptable color (dark
brown, blackish), taste and odour. The
method is unsuitable for commercial
application. The standard approach
nowadays is to mechanically press the
ripe noni fruit to extract the juice.
Although suited for high throughput
operations, the method requires that the
fruit is processed immediately and may
be unsuitable in cases where the fruit is
being accessed from sources afar, e.g.
bringing noni from Maprik to Lae. Cracks
to the pericarp caused during transit will
lower the juice yield, expose it to
oxidation/fermentation and result in the
loss of volatile constituents. Noni needs
to be frozen and stored to prevent
spoilage (and loss of medically active
ingredients) if it cannot be processed
immediately.
In view of the above limitations, a
modified method was designed and has
been tried out periodically over 2 years.
Anecdotal evidence over this period has
shown that the yield from the modified
method was typically higher than the
traditional leaching and standard press
methods. The aim of this paper is to
contrast the modified method to the
standard press and traditional leaching
methods of noni juice production.
2.

Experi m ental
2. 1.
Noni Frui t Sam pl es

The samples were harvested

fresh from the Rainforest Habitat farm at
PNG University of Technology, sorted,
cleaned and ripened for 2 days. When
the pericarp was transluscent, the fruits

were divided into 3 lots one each for

the fermentation and gravity-feed,
mechanical press, and the improved chillthaw methods. The noni juices collected
from the 3 methods were measured.
2. 2.

Equi pm ent

For the new/modified method,

noni fruits were cooled to 15 oC and
stored overnight in a Hunt and Baird
chiller (Brisbane, Qld, Australia) at the
Food Processing and Preservation Unit
of PNGUT.
2. 3.

Procedure s

The three methods used are

outlined in Fig. A1 in the Appendix. There
may be minor differences in the
procedure from maker to maker but the
basics remain much the same.
3.

Resul ts and Di scussi on

The results are shown in Table 1. On a

relative scale, the modified method
produces a higher yield of juice per unit
mass of noni processed. The yield of 50%
v/m compares favourably with the
3550% v/m reported elsewhere [5]. It is
believed that at this point, this could be
due to the effect of chilling on the cell
walls. Chilling expands the water
molecules. The intra-cellular water
molecules (icicles) then rapture the cell
walls, yielding more noni juice. Another
factor could be the action of native
enzymes breaking down the cell walls of
polymeric carbohydrates, e.g. pectin and
cellulose [5].
For the production of noni juice from
Maprik and for the purposes of PNG
Ecology Institute, an error margin of 5%
v/m noni juice is considered acceptable.
Given this fact, the difference between
the modified method and the other two
methods of 6 and 18 % v/m show that
the modified method marks an
improvement in noni juice yield per unit
mass processed.

Environment Papua New Guinea, Vol. 2, Issue 2 (December, 2010)

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The Chill-Thaw Method for Noni Juice Extraction

The mechanical press has a

difference of only 1% v/m point outside
the allowed error margin. This may mean
that it could be used as a stand by
method in the appropriate situations,

4.

Sum m ary

The modified method involving

chilling and thawing offers an
improvement over the standard press
and traditional leaching methods of noni

Table 1: Comparison of the yield of noni juice obtained using three processing methods. Key: * = error
margin as compared to the new Sakulas method, # = error margin as compared to the standard
method.
New Method
Standard Method
Traditional Method
(Chilling)
(Mechanical Press)
(Leaching)
Mass of noni fruit
5029.75 g
5007.48 g
5009.63 g
Noni juice made
2970 mL
2638 mL
2050 mL
% v/m noni juice
59.05
52.68
40.92
*
% v/m difference
0
6
18
% v/m difference#
+12
0
22

e.g. power blackout or chiller

breakdown.
Taken from another angle, the
modified method offers an improvement
on the standard press method of more
than two times that allowed by the
accepted 5% error margin. From this
perspective, it is apparent that the
traditional leaching method has no place
in a commercial setting. On the other
hand, the modified method would be
unsuitable for bulk production at short
notice. The chillingthawing step takes
time (overnight) and requires a big
freezer or cooling room. Cooling uses
electricity which will add to the cost of
production.
It is noted that the results discussed
in this article are preliminary in nature.
More analyses need to be performed to
determine the statistical merits at the
95% confidence limit. It is recommended
that (a) sensory evaluation is done to
qualify consumer preference of the
juices produced using the three
methods, and (b) the shelf-life of the
juice produced from the modified
method is determined.

juice production. It would be suited for

the high-end niche market requiring a
relatively large volume of high quality
noni juice with the desired color, odour
and taste.
5.

Acknowl edgm ent

The authors wish to thank Mr. Ben

Zairo (NISIT) and Mrs. Kisai (ex-FPPU) for
their valuable input and shared
experiences.
6.

Referen ces

1. CHAN-BLANCO, Y., VAILLANT, F.,

PEREZ,
A.M.,
REYNES,
M.,
BRILLOUET, J-M, and BRAT, P. (2006).
Journal of Food Composition and
Analysis, 19 (67): 645654.
2. POONAN, K. and SINGH, G.S., Journal of
Ethnopharmacology, 123, 1 (May 2009)
167176.
3. www.altmed.creighton.edu/noni/
4. WEST, B.J., XU, C.S. and JENSEN, C.J.
(2008). The Journal of Toxicological
Science, 33 (5): 11281136.
5. YANG, J., September 29, 2010.
University of Guam. See www.crees.org.

Environment Papua New Guinea, Vol. 2, Issue 2 (December, 2010)

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Sakulas, Harakuwe, Rungwa, Wangiwan, Wau, Kuipa and Timi

7.

Appendi x

Fig. A1: Process flow charts for noni

juice production using (left) traditional
leach-fermentation, (centre) method

developed by our research group

headed by Sakulas, and (right) the
standard mechanical press method.

Harvesting/Buying

Cleaning/Washing

Sorting & Grading

Ripening/Curing

Pulping

Pulping

Pulping & Extraction

Storage

Freezing at 15oC

Storage/Fermentation

Leach/Ferment

Thawing & Pressing

Pasteurization

Pasteurization

Filtration

Bottling

Bottling/Storage

Pasteurization

Marketing

Marketing

Cooling

Bottling

Storage

Marketing

Environment Papua New Guinea, Vol. 2, Issue 2 (December, 2010)

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