Concentrate or reconstituted?

Concentrate or reconstituted?

When choosing to buy a juice, always always read the back label and check for these two words: concentrate or reconstituted. Both words are used interchangeably and literaly refer to the same process of degrading the fruit or vegetable, for elongated shelf life, more profits and no need to keep the product refrigirated. What you basically are paying for is a powdered version of the juice, which was heat treated - no enzymes to aid in the digestion of the juice, has little to no nutrition and is a quick way to make money. If you want the best juice possible, juice the stuff yourself and have 100% real juice. No matter what the company nor what the government has to say about there being nothing different from the real stuff to the powdered stuff, do not believe such lies. That is like saying there is no difference in a food being radiated or grown organically! 

The following is just information and articles from other sites, for your convenience of knowing more about the subject. Thank you for reading and please do not forget to visit my youtube chanel for videos and links to other useful information and videos. http://www.youtube.com/user/healthyliving2012.

What is a concentrate?

A concentrate is a form of substance which has had the majority of its base component (in the case of a liquid: the solvent) removed. Typically this will be the removal of water from a solution or suspension such as the removal of water from fruit juice. One benefit of producing a concentrate is that of a reduction in weight and volume for transportation as the concentrate can be re-constituted at the time of usage by the addition of the solvent.(1)

Concentrate juice, also known as fruit juice concentrate or concentrated juice, contains far less water than normal, or not-from-concentrate forms of juice. Through a set of advanced filtration and extraction processes, normal fruit juice becomes better suited for storage, shipping and resale in grocery stores and warehouses.

The Concentration Process

In order for natural fruit juice to get converted into concentrated juice, the diluted liquid must receive a heat treatment that evaporates nearly all of the water from the naturally squeezed mixture. Once the water gets depleted from the liquid, only the flavorful contents remain behind.

This concentrate juice then becomes more powerful through reverse osmosis. The contents get packaged, froze and stored or shipped.

Misconception

Several parties feel as though concentrated juice contains harmful ingredients or actually lessens the nutritional value of the natural fruit juice. However, the concentration process literally works to keep the nutrients found within fruits by only removing water which dilutes the overall mixture.

Store bought fruit juice concentrates sometimes contain additives that work to maintain color, flavor and nutritional content within the juice. Mainly, the concentration process occurs only to extend the life of the fruit juice and save money for fruit harvesting and juicing companies which sell their products.

If all juices were sold as not-from-concentrate products, an excessive amount of fruits would go to waste, namely because fresh juices go bad much more quickly than frozen concentrate juice varieties.

Nutritional Values

When compared to not-from-concentrate juices, the actual concentrated forms of similar fruit juices provide equal nutritional content. However, much like dried fruit, one serving size of non diluted concentrate juice compared to an equal serving size of not from concentrate juice will greatly differ in nutritional content.

When fresh fruit gets dried, it loses all of its natural water content, shrinking in size. This process works identical in fruit juices as well. The natural state of freshly squeezed fruit juice contains far more water weight volume than that of a concentrated comparison. Consequently, one cup of non diluted concentrate juice will contain purely sugars and nutrients found within the fruit, while the same serving size of bottled juice varieties will contain only a fraction of those same nutrients.

Most concentrated juices get used to make diluted juices. The main objective of juice concentration involves saving time, money and space.(2)

Health fears over cheap imported juice concentrate 

By Brian Williams

The Advertiser

January 16, 2012

CITRUS growers believe a Brazilian fruit concentrate may contain a fungicide implicated in birth defects.

Growers say the concentrate is found in 95 per cent of orange juice on our shelves.

Citrus Australia chief executive Judith Damiani said yesterday the only way Australian consumers could avoid Brazilian products was to squeeze their own local oranges or buy fresh juice supplied by local growers who did not use the fungicide carbendazim.

Carbendazim is registered for use in Australia for the control of diseases in crops but it has a low uptake and citrus growers stopped using it more than two years ago. Australian growers want the Federal Government to significantly increase testing for the fungicide.

The issue came to light in the US two weeks ago when a juice manufacturer found 35 parts per billion of the fungicide in brands which include Brazilian orange concentrate.

Although that level is well below the mandated maximum residue level of 200 parts per billion, the alarm was raised because of potential health issues.

On January 4, the US suspended all imports of foreign orange juice and began stringent testing for carbendazim. "In Australia, over 300,000 tonnes of oranges are imported every year in the form of cheap Brazilian concentrate," Ms Damiani said. "We call on the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service to increase testing of all imported citrus juice for chemicals banned in Australia."

Ms Damiani said AQIS tested a relatively minor amount of concentrate.

Brazilian oranges were grown in tropical conditions, using a high amount of fungicide and there was every reason to expect tainted products could have come in.

"We have a low level of confidence in products from Brazil, Mexico and China," she said. Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig's office did not respond to the issue.

The Australian citrus industry is worth $540 million a year and has about 2000 growers. It is the largest fresh fruit exporter, with annual export earnings of about $190 million. Local growers cannot produce oranges cheaply enough to make it worth turning into concentrate.

South Australia's Riverland is one of the four major citrus growing areas in Australia.

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority has been reviewing carbendazim since 2007 after concerns were raised that exposure might pose a risk.(3)

The Truth About Reconstituted Fruit Juice

Jun 10, 2010

What Is Reconstituted Fruit Juice?

Reconstituted fruit juice is juice produced from a fruit juice concentrate. It differs slightly in taste to fresh juices, carrying a different texture and aroma. Like freshly squeezed juices, juice is produced from a juicing machine, which then has as much water removed from it as possible, reducing it to a to a concentrate. Many juice companies around Australia and around the world use the concentrated form of juice for transportation and storage, hydrating the concentrate (typically with 80% off water that was originally removed) only once it has arrived where it is to be packaged and distributed.

Frozen packets or tubes of reconstituted juice may also be purchased at your local supermarket. They can be stored in you home freezer for a number of years, leaving you with the the DIY job of adding the water when there is a need.

Is Reconstituted Fruit Juice Nutritious?

Unsurprisingly, reconstituted fruit juices do not offer the high nutritional qualities of their freshly squeezed counterparts. Enzymes required for adequate food metabolism and the immune system are destroyed through the process of heating and reconstitution. Vitamin C levels are also depleted significantly, but artificially added back by most manufacturers at a later date.

Reconstituted fruit juice labels may also be misleading, as there is no current Australian regulation to enforce juice companies' list where the concentrate itself originates. Domestic harvests can great vary season to season in Australia, and shortfalls of juice concentrate used to in the reconstituted juices may be imported from offshore. This is especially concerning when there is possibility the concentrate comes from countries such as China, where there are no strict health codes of practice in place. It is also worth checking the labels to ensure the reconstituted juice hasn't been produced from less expensive juices such as apple or grape, which offer a significantly less nutritional value. Please keep your eye out for reconstituted juices that contain the artificial preservative sodium benzonate as well.

If you are looking for an environment-friendly juice option, reconstituted juice may not be the product for you either, especially when you consider the huge amounts of energy (in the form of fuels which could otherwise be conserved) that is spent in the processing, transportation, and reconstitution of the juice. This only leaves you with a heavier environmental conscious, and the world with yet another reason to contribute to global warming. All in the name of juice that essentially tastes the same to its freshly squeezed counterpart.(4)

With the next lot of information, I personaly would not believe a government website when it comes to health. Especially if they say no added sugar, concentrates are not different that freshly squeezed , etc. 

General & Technical FAQ's

1. What is 'reconstituted'?
Oranges are squeezed using machines much like that found in the home. This juice is then 'condensed' by removal of water using heat. The resultant concentrate is transported to factories around Australia where the water is added back to the concentrate. This process is called reconstitution. The primary reason for using reconstituted juice is economic transportation and to ensure availability all year round.

2. Why do you need preservatives?
Preservatives are needed to maintain product quality for the required shelf-life so that juice can be made available conveniently. Many preservatives can be found naturally in raw foods, such as citric acid (in oranges and lemons) and ascorbic acid (vitamin C).

3. Do you use imported juice?
Although Australia grows an excess of 600 kilo tonnes of oranges every year, the harvest can vary greatly due to seasonal variations. Shortfall of concentrate availability necessitates importation of juice during some
periods.

4. It is out of date - is it alright?
The juice does not become spoiled on the use by date. The juice will last past this date as long as it has been stored properly. The quality may not be as good as when first made. It should be assessed if it is 'fit to drink'. If in doubt throw it out.

5. Why doesn't freshly squeezed juice taste like what comes out of the bottle?
Most juices on the market are made from concentrate which does not have the 'fresh aroma' due to the heat treatment.
There are some products on the market which are made only from juice which has not been concentrated. These juices do taste more like the 'home made' product.

6. Are fruit juices irradiated?
In Australia no food including fruit juices can be irradiated by law.

7. How does orange juice produced by diffusion/counter current extraction methods differ from conventional orange juice?
The diffusion or counter current extracted product differs from conventional orange juice in that it combines a percentage of juice extracted from the inside of the peel as well as from the flesh of the orange.
This extraction is done using technically very advanced processes, so that the product sold is nutritionally, analytically and organoliptically equivalent to conventional orange juice.
This development will enable Australian producers to compete economically with overseas countries in the supply of orange juice and also give the Australian consumer an equivalent product at a lower price.

8. What is 100% Juice?
100% juice is the liquid obtained from fruits or vegetables. It does not include juice derived from concentrate or contains any additives whatsoever.

9. What is Organic Juice?
These juices are prepared from fruit grown without the use of ‘chemicals’ and not derived from genetically modified crops. All manufacturers are independently certified before they are able to use the term organic.

10. What is Natural?
Does not contain food additives (unless they are natural components) or have any part removed or changed.

11. What Does “No Added Sugar” Mean?
No added sugar - products must not contain any added sugar (includes honey, malt, malt extract or maltose) but, of course, still contain the natural sugars of the fruit juice.

Health and Nutrition FAQs

1. Does reconstituted juice have any added sugar?
Definitely not.  Juice is transported around Australia and indeed the world in a concentrated form (two thirds of the water has been removed).  The reason for this is that it is expensive to transport this extra volume.  The water is extracted by evaporation, but the juice retains all its nutritional characteristics except for the fact that it loses some of its Vitamin C.  Reconstituted juice is simply this concentrated juice with the same amount of water added back as was originally evaporated off.  You would have noticed in the ingredient labelling of most brands containing reconstituted juice that the company has added Vitamin C to more than compensate for that lost during the evaporation process.   No sugar is added or removed during the concentration process.

2. If a juice uses reconstituted juice but the bottle doesn’t list a sugar under ingredients or doesn’t say “No added sugar” on the label - is it likely that sugar has been added?
Again, if sugar is not mentioned in the ingredient listing there should definitely not be any sugar added to the product.

Fruit Juice Australia (FJA), through its voluntary Code of Practice, actually monitors fruit juice samples from the marketplace and analyse their contents for truth in labelling on an ongoing basis to ensure compliance to the Australian Food Standards and the safety of consumers.(5)

Fruit Juice, Pulp & Concentration Plants

The study, design & manufacturing of this processing line are the result of many years of efforts devoted to the research of processing methods focused on preserving the organoleptic, physical and aromatic characteristics of the processed fruit in order to produce a juice of high quality in color and clearness.

Subsequently it dicfortes the quantity of concentrates and the fruit juice powders. Fruit processing industry has been declared as "Thrust Industry" for its potential and vast utilisation of fruits.

Fresh juices are best in taste and color and are best to be consumed fresh. The efforts to preserve them & to ensure their quality, various techniques are to be adopted. This includes various process and preservation methods. The most important aspect is to ensure such methods which helps to retain these properties to the maximum extent.

SSP offers complete line for fruit processing and concentration. This plant is for processing of fruits like mango, orange, apple, pears, etc. and for making juice concentration, paste, jam, jelly, ketchup, etc.

The plant size ranges between 1 Ton/day to 200 Ton/day or even more depending on availability of fruits.

THE MOST IMPORTANT STEPS INVOLVED IN PROCESSING OF JUICES AND BEVERAGES ARE:

• Selection and preparation of fruits
• Extraction of Juices
• Straining, Filtration and clarification
• Blending Pasteurisation.
• Filling, Sealing and sterlization
• Cooling, Labelling and Packing

For Juice Concentration, vacuum evaporation is another step in fruit processing line. The final concentrate can be filled in aseptic bags in drums for export purposes.

Clear Juices can be formulated, blended and spray dried at best conditions to convert them into readily soluble powders.

SSP OFFERS MULTIPLE FRUIT PROCESSING PLANT FOR PRODUCTION OF JUICES/PULPS

• Apple, Pineapple
• Mango
• Tomato
• Papaya
• Guava
• Berrys
• Grapes
• Oranges
• Lemon

Multi Fruit Processing Line

Reconstitution Plant For - Juice, Ketchup & Puree

For economic transportation of Fruit Juice concentrates and reduction of volume, two third of the water from the juice is extracted through evaporation process & the resultant concentrate is transported to factories, where the same amount of water or vitamin contents that was extracted before, is again added back or reconstituted. The process is called the Fruit Juice Reconstitution System.

Unloading of paste from aseptic drums into a tank with a agitator.

Transfer of paste to a formulation tank where the other ingredients are added for dilution.

The formulation can be done for tomato juice, puree and ketchup. For juice and puree the dilution will take place in the formulation tanks and passes through the pasturizer before filling and packing is done.

For ketchup preparation, sugar desilation and other ingredients will take place in separate tank. These ingredients are pumped to the blending tanks where the paste / puree is already in place. Heat in supplied through steam in the Jacket and all the ingredients are processed to confirm the ketchup requirements. The formulated ketchup is then pasturized and packed into paper packet/ glass bottles.

Fruit Juice Powder Plant

Converting Juice into powder can be a solution for long shelf life and essy packing and transportation.

SSP offers juice powder processing plants of various capacity to suit the client requirment.(6)

1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentrate\

2 http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/understanding-concentrate-juice.html

3 http://www.news.com.au/business/health-fears-over-cheap-imported-juice-concentrate/story-e6frfm1i-1226245001017

4 http://www.naturaltherapypages.com.au/article/reconstituted_fruit_juice

5 http://fruitjuiceaustralia.org/faq/

6 http://www.sspindia.com/fruit-juice-processing.html