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Everyone has their own ideas about replacing essential body fluids, vitamins
and minerals - whether it's after exercise or just a tiring day at the office. Fruit juice is still one of the best
ways to replenish the body's essential nutrients and it's a natural source of energy. A ½ - ¾ cup of pure fruit
juice is equivalent to a single fruit such as an apple or orange and it's rich in natural fruit sugars, fructose and glucose,
and above all caffeine free. But getting a pure fruit juice has become problematic for the man on the street. Most
drinks, nectars and squashes cramming retailers' shelves and refrigerators contain less than half real fruit juice.
There are three basic categories of fruit juices:
- Pure fruit juices, which contain 100% fruit juice.
- Fruit juice nectars which contain less than 100% but more than 20% fruit juice, depending on the
actual fruit (nectars usually contain 20-50% fruit juice).
- Fruit drinks, which contain a minimum of 6% fruit juice.
Squashes contain 24% fruit juice in their undiluted form.
How pure fruit juices are made
Not all fruit juices are drinkable in their natural state. Some, like guava and apricot, are too thick for a straw. Others,
like grapefruit, are simply too sour or bitter. In order to bring the juice to a drinkable consistency, the fruit puree is
blended with other fruit juices.
The blended juices are then flash pasteurised, de-aerated and filled into sterilised packaging material. The flash
pasteurisation, exclusion of air and the most up to date aseptic packaging methodology guarantee the product's shelf life of
12 months without the addition of any preservatives.
Ceres Fruit Juices uses Tetra Brik aseptic cartons from Tetra Pak as well
as other packaging types (such as cans, glass bottles and casks) to package our fruit juices.
Once opened, an aseptic pack of pure fruit juice must be stored in the refrigerator, treated as fresh and consumed within
four to five days.
Fruit nectars and drinks
Instead of blending the fruit puree with other fruit juices, nectars are made by adding cane sugar and water to the fruit
puree to bring it to a palatable consistency. In other words, an orange nectar may consist of 50% orange juice and 50% sugar
and water. Fruit drinks follow the same principle as nectars except that a lower percentage of fruit juice is utilised.
The preservative story
Pure fruit juices, such as LiquiFruit and Ceres, do not contain any preservatives or colourants due to the fact that these
products are packed in aseptic packaging.
Certain other fruit juices, nectars, and squashes do, however, contain preservatives, such as benzoic acid, sulphur dioxide
and pimaricin. That is why it is so important for consumers to read the information provided on packs and labels, especially
if they seek pure products.
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