Reconstituted juice - pros and cons

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Juices have firmly taken their place in the diet of children, and adults too. But are they really that useful? Many consumers are confused by the high amount of sugar in this product. And the most attentive ones know that most juices that can be found on store shelves are reconstituted.

Production technology

What does "reconstituted juice" mean? It is made from concentrate. This jelly-like substance is obtained from the juices of fruits, vegetables, berries by evaporating or freezing water. Before juicing, the concentrate is heated, then cooled, and finally, the amount of water is added to it, which returns it to its natural concentration. Sugar and citric acid are also sometimes added to juices. The taste of the product does not suffer from this, on the contrary, the taste of reconstituted juices is even more intense than that of freshly squeezed ones, which is due to the peculiarities of the technology.

Expiration dates

Freshly squeezed juice is more expensive for a reason. He is more usefulreconstituted and contains more vitamins. But here it is not stored for long - just half an hour is enough for the vitamins to begin to break down, and after a few hours the juice will begin to ferment. It is better to drink it immediately after squeezing. It is clear that such juice is not suitable for sale. But the restored one can be stored for a long time, because during the processing of the original juice and concentrate, pasteurization occurs and microbes are killed, which cause spoilage of the product. Its shelf life usually lasts about six months. Some manufacturers indicate that the juice can be stored for up to 2 years. You should not trust this. It's best not to buy an expired product or one with an extended expiration date.

GOST

GOST for reconstituted fruit juices requires strict adherence to technology, for example, acidity and other indicators are regulated. The fruits for juicing are strictly selected. They must be fresh and show no signs of rotting. When buying freshly squeezed juice in public places, you cannot be sure that the fruit is that fresh. Since reconstituted juice loses vitamins during repeated pasteurization, vitamins can be added to the finished juice. The packaging may say "juice reconstituted fortified." Sometimes they are enriched with minerals and other useful substances.

How to choose juice

However, even the mention of GOST on the package does not guarantee that all conditions are met. Therefore, when buying juice, you should be guided by other criteria. First, high-quality reconstituted juicedoesn't get too cheap. It should cost at least more than nectars. Secondly, it is important to carefully read the composition - the product may contain sugar, citric acid, but should not - dyes, flavors, preservatives and other additives. Natural flavors are acceptable - they can be obtained, for example, from the peel of fruits. They make it more delicious and fragrant than freshly squeezed counterparts, but do not reduce its naturalness.

Unclarified juices with pulp are most useful. Clarified juices, such as apple juice, are those that are transparent. Clarification can occur by a physical method, with the help of settling, centrifugation, but can also be achieved with the help of enzymes that destroy proteins and starch. Despite the fact that the appearance of the juice is more aesthetic, and the taste is almost not inferior to the taste of unclarified juice, it loses many useful substances.

The decision is yours

Should I drink reconstituted juices? Depending on what you mean by this question. Freshly squeezed in the supermarket is unlikely to be found, given their short shelf life. They are sold in shopping centers, and it is better to drink them right on the spot. If you want to drink only freshly squeezed juice, the most economical solution is to juice at home. But this should be done without fanaticism - juice contains acids and many other substances in a much higher concentration than fruits, so they should be drunk in moderation, and people with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract should be especially careful. And at the same time some freshly squeezedjuices are recommended for patients with these diagnoses. For example, a mixture of beet, carrot and celery juices is useful in this case. You will probably not find such a "potion" on store shelves. Although not only reconstituted fruit juices are currently popular, but also vegetable and fruit and vegetable juices.

Purchased juices should also be drunk in moderation. The amount of sugar in them is usually quite large, even if all the requirements of GOST are met. On the other hand, juice will always win over sodas and juice-containing soft drinks such as nectars. Unlike those drinks that contain only sugar or sweeteners and many ingredients with incomprehensible names, reconstituted juice is still made from natural fruits and contains vitamins, sometimes in smaller quantities than freshly squeezed, and sometimes in more due to additional vitaminization.