Our reporter visited and investigated: Restored juice and freshly squeezed juice make people confused

Why is water the first raw material of 100% juice

　　As people pay more and more attention to healthy diet, fruit juice has become a healthy diet in the minds of many consumers.

A reporter from Beijing Youth Daily visited many supermarkets in Beijing and found that "100%" is almost a "must mark" for various products on juice shelves.

But in fact, the meaning behind these "100%" is not the same. Among them are the so-called "freshly squeezed juices", but the more numerous ones are reconstituted juices.

　　So, is "100% juice" with nothing added really as healthy as you think?

A reporter from the Beijing Youth Daily found that the "100% juice" seen on the market is not necessarily the juice squeezed out of the original flavor of fresh fruit.

And freshly squeezed juice bought from the market may not be healthier than ordinary juice!

Find

Both freshly squeezed juice and reconstituted juice claim "100%"

　　On the refrigerated shelf of a Wumart supermarket, mixed with low-temperature milk products are juices of multiple brands.

The outer packaging of these juices are basically marked with "100% juice" or similar words, but most of them are reduced juices made from water and concentrated juice (pulp).

　　For example, the "Weiquan Daily" juice under the most variety of Weiquan Foods includes apple juice, orange juice and other flavors. The four juices except coconut juice are marked with "juice content: 100%" on the outer packaging. The words.

However, a reporter from the Beijing Youth Daily saw the ingredients of "water" in its ingredient list, and its raw materials include "water" and "concentrated fruit juice."

　　The bright orange juice produced by Bright Dairy also has an obvious "100%" mark on the outer packaging, but the first place among its ingredients is also "water", followed by "orange juice concentrate".

In addition, Wumart’s own brand of Liangshiji’s products are directly marked with "100% orange juice" on the outer packaging, but the first place in the list of ingredients is also "water."

Different from other products, Liangshiji orange juice clearly defines the "product category" as "reconstituted juice" in the product label.

In addition, most juices at room temperature are reconstituted juices, but these juices with a shelf life of several months or even a year are actually made from water and concentrated juice.

survey

Reconstituted juice can be called "100% juice"

　　Some people in the industry told the Beijing Youth Daily that the so-called rejuvenation of fruit juice is to restore the concentrated fruit puree to a normal concentration of "100% fruit juice" by adding water.

The most common juice product currently on the market is the reconstituted juice.

The production of this kind of juice is relatively simple. Usually, the processing plant purchases concentrated fruit pulp outsourcing, and a certain proportion of water is added during the production process to achieve a concentration similar to that of fresh juice, but the taste is still quite different from that of fresh juice.

　　The industry interviewees said that the advantage of this reconstituted juice lies in its low cost. Generally, the concentrated fruit puree comes from the main producing area of ​​the fruit, and the cost is relatively low.

For example, a considerable proportion of the condensed orange juice used in the orange juice sold in the Chinese market comes from Brazil, which is rich in oranges, while the concentrated apple juice and concentrated peach juice are more from the main producing areas in my country. This is the reason for the taste. On the one hand, it is also a cost consideration.

　　In comparison, the juice produced by the fresh squeezed mode has higher technical requirements for the processing plant. In order to ensure the juice yield, the squeezing process of different types of fruits will also be different. The cost of the juice of this production process is relatively high. .

　　So, can the juice reconstituted with concentrated fruit pulp and water be called "100% juice"?

In this regard, a reporter from the Beijing Youth Daily learned that this type of appellation actually complies with the current relevant regulations in my country.

According to the "General Rules for Beverages" implemented by the National Standardization Management Committee in 2016, direct fruit squeezing or concentrated fruit juice and water to restore to the original concentration can be called "100% juice", and the latter is "reconstituted juice".

Follow up

Most consumers know that "juice" is not freshly squeezed

　　A reporter from Beijing Youth Daily randomly interviewed some consumers who bought fruit juice in the supermarket. Most of them were aware that most of the “100% fruit juice” was not freshly squeezed but was “reduced” from water and concentrated fruit juice.

Some consumers said that their freshly squeezed juices are basically squeezed and drunk at home, and it is impossible to store them for too long, so they do not expect to buy freshly squeezed juices in supermarkets.

　　A consumer told a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily that her understanding of the "100% juice" made by the restoration method is that concentrated juice removes the water in the juice, and the juice processing plant adds water to the concentrated juice during production. The proportion of the water is the same as the original water removed, which is equivalent to the proportion of the original juice, so it is also acceptable to call it 100% juice.

She said that what she values ​​more is the difference between fruit juice and fruit juice drinks, because many fruit juice drinks not only have a juice content of 30% or less, but also add some additives, so she never buys them.

　　In this regard, some industry sources told the Beiqing Daily reporter that the consumer’s understanding is basically correct, because the national standard allows the production of "100% juice" by a reduction method, but emphasizes the need to restore the original concentration. Do not add more water to dilute the original strength of the juice.

Interpretation

Which is healthier, freshly squeezed juice or reconstituted juice?

　　The word "fresh" in freshly squeezed juice often makes people feel "healthy", but is this really the case?

Some experts said that although “fresh squeezing” seems to be a physical treatment of fruit, it should be changed from “eating fruit” to “drinking fruit”, but in fact, you cannot simply judge the freshness in the supermarket based on this. Squeezed juice must be healthier than reconstituted juice.

　　First of all, from the perspective of nutrition and health, the nutritional components of juice are mainly derived from fresh fruits, so the quality of fresh fruits directly determines the nutrition of juice.

From the perspective of freshness, the fruit used in freshly squeezed juice is unlikely to be better than the fresh fruit sold directly on the market.

　　During the interview, the reporter of Beiqing Daily also heard the term “land fruit”. This is called the “hidden rule” that has existed for a long time in the juice industry, which means that the fruits used by many fruit juice manufacturers are not the freshest. High-quality fresh fruits are sold to food processing plants only when they fall in the orchard and are of poor quality.

　　"Fruit farmers will definitely use the best quality fruits for fresh fruit sales after harvesting. As for what kind of fruit is shipped to the food factory for processing, it actually depends on what grade the food factory intends to buy." A person told Beijing Youth Daily. Reporter, consumers cannot distinguish the quality of raw fruit from the finished fruit juice. At present, there are no regulations on grading and expressing raw materials for fruit juice products in the industry. Therefore, consumers buy back a bottle of fruit juice and what kind of raw material is produced? Can't be autonomous.

　　In addition, freshly squeezed juices often require more stringent storage conditions, especially freshly squeezed juices that have not undergone high-temperature treatment, which contain certain microorganisms. The entire cold chain must be used to inhibit the reproduction of microorganisms, and the shelf life is often short.

Once this kind of juice breaks out of the cold chain or exceeds the shelf life, it is more prone to spoilage and endanger health.

Relatively speaking, the reconstituted juice has more processing steps, and the antibacterial effect is better.

　　This group of articles / our reporter Zhang Qin

prompt

Freshly squeezed juice is far less nutritious than fresh fruit

　　Consumers need to be reminded that if they mind the difference between freshly squeezed fruit juice and reconstituted fruit juice, consumers should read the ingredient list carefully, rather than simply relying on the need for low-temperature storage as a basis for judging.

A reporter from the Beijing Youth Daily saw in the supermarket that freshly squeezed juices and reconstituted juices are divided into refrigerated and preserved varieties. This is a difference in production technology, not a basis for freshly squeezed or restored.

　　In addition, whether to drink fruit juice for health or to eat fruit directly is also a concern of many consumers.

In fact, it is an academic issue, and there are different opinions and controversies from different angles.

But in general, professionals have more consensus on "drinking juice cannot replace eating fruit".

　　A recent paper in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) also attracted the attention of many people who love to drink freshly squeezed juice.

The article claims that sugary drinks are associated with increased cancer risk, and even 100% pure freshly squeezed fruit juice is dangerous.

The research cited in this paper shows that compared to whole fruits, freshly squeezed fruit juice will cause the blood sugar index to rise after a meal!

The difference is that one is eating and the other is drinking.

The article explains that when eating fruit directly, the process of chewing allows the sugar to be slowly released and absorbed. It takes about two hours from eating to nutrient absorption, so that it will not cause a strong stimulus to the glycemic index.

And when fresh fruits and vegetables are eaten directly, the nutrient absorption rate is only 17% because of the cellulose contained in them.

And drinking freshly squeezed fruit juice, because the cellulose has been removed, the nutrient absorption rate can reach 65%, and the nutrient absorption time is also shortened to a quarter of an hour, which stimulates the blood sugar index more strongly.