At the processing plant, the cranberries go through a sequence of fruit crushing, mash maceration, mash heating, juice pressing, and pasteurization to produce a cranberry concentrate that is separated from pulp. To prepare a cranberry juice/cocktail product, cranberry juice concentrate is reconstituted with varying amounts of water, specified by the solicitation, contract, or purchase order. During growth, cranberry quality can be affected by various pests including: weeds, insects, mites, vertebrate animals, and diseases, resulting in the need for physical, biological or chemical treatments to reduce these impacts. Canada has a "Pesticide Risk Reduction Program" where Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Pest Management Regulatory Agency work to confront the dangers pesticides pose to the environment and human health. Flooding and irrigation often remain the best technique to deter pesticide resistant pests in the cranberry cultivation process. Traditionally, cranberry juice is commercially sterilized though thermal processing to eliminate any pathogenic or spoilage-causing microorganisms and spores. The prepared cranberry juice product is heat treated by high temperature-short time (HTST) or ultra-high temperature (UHT) techniques and packaged into aseptic, hermetically-sealed containers. During thermal processing, the cranberry juice receives a heat treatment time equivalent to a 5-log pathogen reduction. Often, the bacterium "Clostridium botulinum" is given special attention during thermal processing techniques of food. However, "C. botulinum" does not grow and produce toxins below a pH of 4.6 and cranberry juice is classified as a high-acid food with a pH of 2.3 to 2.9. In 2017, new methods of cranberry juice processing included high pressure processing (HHP) and pulsified electric fields (PEF) technology. HHP treatment involves applying pressure (80,000 psi or 550 MPa) to cranberry juice for 1 to 9 minutes to eliminate any harmful bacteria, moulds and viruses. The resulting raw cranberry juice, without thermal processing, is classified as a novel food item by Health Canada. PEF treatment involves generating a high-intensity electric field inducing a flux of electrical current to flow through the food product to eliminate harmful microorganisms. PEF treated cranberry juice does not alter the flavour, colour, or aroma profile of the cranberries used, unlike the traditional thermally processed method. Naturally, cranberries are low in sugar content and have a tart or astringent taste.