Juice, nectar and juice drinks: what’s on store shelves?
Juice sounds like the simplest word in the drinks aisle, but on a label it does not always mean what you think it does. There is a clear distinction: juice, nectar and juice drinks are different products. Take a moment to read the label and you can quickly tell whether the bottle contains mainly fruit, water or a drink mixed with sugar.
Why is buying juice confusing?
At first glance, the juice aisle in a large supermarket looks straightforward: orange, apple, cranberry, multivitamin, a small carton for a school bag and a large one for the family breakfast table. The confusion starts when the front of the pack promises berries and fruit, but the label on the back lists water, sugar, purée or concentrated juice.
The simple truth is that the name of the drink matters. If the label says juice, the product must meet stricter requirements than nectar or a juice drink. That does not automatically make one drink good and another bad, but it gives you a more honest picture.
A juice drink can be pressed from fruit, berries or vegetables. It can also be made from concentrated juice by adding back the amount of water removed during concentration. The principle is the same: the drink must have the characteristic color, aroma and flavor of the fruit or berry in question.
Raw juice is an even more specific term. It is juice extracted from fruit, berries or vegetables that has not been heat-treated and has no other foods added. Fresh homemade apple juice is a good example, provided it has not been heated or mixed with anything.
How do juice, nectar and juice drinks differ?
Juice consists of one or more fruit, berry or vegetable juices. It can be extracted from fresh or frozen ingredients using physical processes. Enzymes such as pectinases, proteases or amylases are sometimes used too. That sounds technical, but the aim is simple: to extract juice from the fruit while preserving the essential character of the drink.
For citrus fruit, the juice drink comes from the inner part of the fruit. Lime juice can be made from whole limes, but the amount of outer peel must be kept to a minimum. This matters because the peel can impart a strong bitter taste.
In some cases, sugar may be added to juice to improve its flavor. Pear and grape juice are exceptions. For regular juice, up to 15 grams may be added per liter of juice. If more than 15 grams of sugar are added per liter of juice, it is classified as sweetened juice.
Sweetened juice has its own limits. In general, up to 100 grams of sugar and sugar products may be added per liter. For lemon, lime and bergamot juice, as well as redcurrant, whitecurrant and blackcurrant juice, up to 200 grams may be added per liter. These juices are acidic, so sugar balances the flavor as well as making the drink sweet.
Concentrated juice is juice that has had water removed. This is done using physical or other processing methods, but not direct heating. If concentrated juice is intended for consumers, at least 50 percent of its water must have been removed. It can later be made into reconstituted juice by adding water back.
If several types of acid are added to concentrated juice, excluding L-ascorbic acid, the amount of each acid is calculated as a percentage of its permitted limit. These percentages may total up to 100 percent. The same principle applies to nectar.
Juice powder is an even drier form. It is made by removing almost all the water from juice. Here too, the aroma is restored using volatile compounds recovered from the same juice or compounds obtained from the same types of fruit and berries.
Practical shopping tips for the juice aisle
Nectar is made from juice, concentrated juice, purée, concentrated purée or a mixture of these. Water and sugar or natural honey are added. Nectar must be capable of fermenting but must not have fermented. This means that the ingredients are fruit-based, but the drink does not have the same concentration as juice.
When making nectar, sugar or natural honey may be added up to 20 percent per liter of the finished product. Water is also added in an amount that keeps the juice, purée or combined content and the acid concentration within the required limits.
Juice drinks are the broadest category. They can be made from juice, concentrated juice, purée, nectar or a mixture of these. Water and sugar or natural honey are added. A juice drink must contain at least 10 percent juice, purée or a mixture of the two.
Honestly, the quickest shopping tip is to check three things: the name of the drink, the proportion of juice or purée, and any indication of added sugar. The picture on the front may be attractive, but the ingredients list on the back tells you more.
If you want a purer option with breakfast, choose a product labeled as a juice drink with a short ingredients list. If you want a tart berry drink, nectar can be a perfectly reasonable choice, because not all berries make a pleasant drink without water and sweetening. If you buy a juice drink, simply be aware that it belongs to a more diluted category.
When it comes to training and nutrition, remember that juice provides energy too. After a tough workout, a glass of juice can be a suitable source of carbohydrates, but water is a better everyday choice for quenching your thirst. Juice is not bad. What matters is how much you drink and what you are actually buying.
FAQ: juice, nectar and juice drinks
Can juice be made from concentrate?
Yes. Juice can be reconstituted from concentrate by adding back the same amount of water that was removed during concentration and restoring its flavor characteristics to meet the requirements.
Is nectar always a bad choice?
No. Nectar can be a sensible choice for tart berries or fruits. The difference is that water and sugar or honey are added to nectar, so it is worth reading the ingredients.
How does a juice drink differ from juice?
Juice drinks are a more diluted and more loosely defined category. They must contain at least 10 percent juice, purée or a mixture of the two, whereas a juice drink is based on the composition of the juice itself.
PS Find the best juice concentrates in Estonia HERE
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