In this daily baton race, most often, convenience is over nutrition, which urges individuals to rely on something as easy and simple as fruit juice concentrate. But is fruit juice concentrate healthy at all? Such products may take up less time in prepare and offer a longer shelf life, but are they as beneficial as they claim? Juice concentrates are juices from fruits dehydrated to form a concentrated juice from which water is ultimately added back. The preparation procedure consists mostly of high temperature, so the nutrient loss, including that of vitamin C, can reach a high percentage.
Not to mention the fact that supplementary sugars are present in the majority of concentrated juice types, thus lacking the dietary fiber present in whole fruits. As a result, sugar gets easily absorbed into the blood, and this makes them potentially cause a rapid rise in blood sugar levels. One other aspect of it is that since they lack fiber, they may not cause the same satiety as their original versions, resulting in overconsumption. In addition, “100% juice” is a scenario where some additives are found or where the rest of the content is sugar-laden fruit juices like apple.
What Is Juice Concentrate?
Juice concentrates are fruit juices that are processed by removing most of the water to provide a thick, syrupy liquid. During the process, juice is extracted from the fresh fruit and then heated or frozen to evaporate the water while concentrating the natural sugars, flavors, and nutrients. The main benefit of this is that the juice takes less space and weight for transport and storage. Water is added back to the concentrate when it is ready to drink to make it drinkable.
Further, most concentrated juices have added sugars and lack the dietary fiber present in whole fruits, which could inevitably lead to rapid sugar absorption causing blood sugar peaks. Not having fiber means they are much less filling than whole fruits, which could probably lead to overconsumption. Some products that say they are “100% juice” might still contain other additives and consist mostly of cheap juices such as apple, which is known to be very sugary.
Concentrated juice can fit into an overall healthy diet when not consumed in excess; however, one should be cognizant of the limitations of concentrated and include fresh whole fruit or just-squeezed juice whenever possible in order to gain the greatest potential health benefits.
Nutrient Loss During Processing
Juice concentrates are processed using heating and evaporation to remove water content, usually causing the destruction of heat-sensitive nutrients like vitamin C. During concentration, the vitamin C concentration can be lowered significantly, thereby decreasing juice dilution health benefits. Juice concentrate also does not contain any dietary fiber, thanks to the removal of the same during processing; dietary fiber is necessary for digestion and blood sugar regulation.
No fiber means a high glycemic index and quick spikes in blood sugar levels. Moreover, the processing may affect other beneficial compounds, for example, the antioxidants and phytonutrients, thus reducing the nutritional value of the juice. Although juice concentrate is beautiful, convenient, and has a longer shelf life than fresh juice, it still holds some compromises regarding nutrition for healthy eating.
Added Sugars and Sweeteners
On one hand, juice concentrates are seen as a healthful alternative to sugary sodas or so the commonly held wisdom goes. On the other hand, given that they are processed from fruits, it can be said that their concentration processes often strip away beneficial nutrients and fiber, resulting in a product high in both naturally occurring and added sugars.
A lot of our juice concentrates have sugar or sweetener added to them for flavor enhancement and shelf life purposes. Thus, with such added sugars, the juices can have a sugar content per serving that is about the same as or even greater than that found in sodas. For example, some bottled fruit juice blends contain up to 60 grams of sugar more sugar than a can of soda.
Lack of Dietary Fiber
These juice concentrates that are marketed as healthy and easy can be very well substitutes for fruit juices. However, they don’t have the healthy dietary fiber as present inside the whole fruits. The process of concentrating juice includes removal of water which implies that with the water, its fiber is also removed.
For example, you have 0 grams of dietary fiber in 100 grams of apple concentrate which carries 65 grams of carbohydrate and 55 grams of sugar.
Dietary fiber plays an important role by acting in the human digestive system to maintain conditions relative to digestion, blood sugar levels, and satiety. Individuals who have an inadequate fiber diet suffer from the condition that relates to digestion such as constipation and bloating. Similarly, fiber slows the activity of sugars in the bloodstream, which would otherwise cause the fast rise of blood glucose concentrations.
The absence of fiber in juice concentrates leads to much more rapid absorption of sugars, thus increasing the chances of developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
Misleading Labels and Marketing
Juice concentrate products like to present themselves as healthy and natural, but a closer look shows a different story. The marketing schemes thrive on terms like 100% juices, no added sugar, and “all-natural” to entice health-conscious consumers. Again, these terms may also prove misleading.
Furthermore, since no strict regulation exists concerning the term all-natural, companies may place that label on their products while actually including some additives or undergoing heavy processing. This gives consumers a false sense of security about the health benefits of the product.
overall
Juice concentrates are manufactured by applying heat and evaporation for the removal of water. Temperatures to which juice concentrates are subjected destroy the bulk of heat-sensitive nutrients, including vitamin C, which is important for immune function and repair of tissues. Besides, the concentration process eliminates almost all of the fiber contained in whole fruits that is important for intestinal health and regulation of blood sugar.
Many juice concentrates also have additives-sugars and sweeteners-which provide flavor and prolong shelf life. Such additions help in excessive caloric intakes without essential nutrients, contributing to weight gain and increasing the risk for chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Also, the high sugar concentrations cause rapid surges in blood glucose levels, followed by sudden dips in energy and a feeling of hunger shortly after consumption.
