The huge benefits of natural juices are known to all. But unfortunately, not everyone can afford it, especially if the time of year is “lean”. And people resort to the help of packaged juices, sincerely believing that they also have a lot of vitamins and minerals, so necessary for the body. However, not all juices can be called natural.
What juice is made of
The blue screen is replete with colorful advertising of juices, forcing consumers to claim that they will drink a product of 100% quality, natural and healthy. At the same time, sometimes forgetting that bananas, pineapples, oranges and other goodies do not grow within the Russian limits. This means that the juice is not made from these fruits, fresh and ripe, but they are taken from a frozen concentrate, which is brought from different countries. All other species use natural raw materials.
Fruits with small external damage in the form of spots or dents are suitable for the production of juices. But the use of rotten fruit is strictly prohibited. For even a few of them are caught, the whole party can be ruined.
In addition, the rotten raw material contains patulin. This is mycotoxin, which, penetrating the body, causes food poisoning. Therefore, workers carefully select the fruits before they enter processing.
So, to the question "What is juice made of?" There are two answers: from natural fruits or from concentrate.
Juice Basics
If in Soviet times, citizens could buy only domestic-made juices with a small choice of taste, now the assortment of drinks will conquer any gourmet.
Fruit and berry are created on the basis of fruits or berries. There are also mixed drinks. For example: apple and grapes, peach and pear, multifruit.
Each of them, depending on a particular fruit and berry culture, bears its benefit to the body.
Vegetable. What to make juice from, if not carrots or beets? Pumpkin, cucumber, tomato will give a huge dose of vitamins in the form of a drink. And if you mix them with fruit, you get a great mix that will have a healing effect and satisfy your hunger.
Herbal For many, it will seem strange that you can make juice from the grass and drink it. But it is really a very useful product. Yes, and its application is limitless. Juice is made from rhubarb, spinach or even burdock. Widely used in folk medicine, celandine juice or aloe juice.
Classification
In fact, there are two types of juices: freshly squeezed and canned.
Freshly squeezed juice is consumed immediately, because after 30-40 minutes it will lose most of the nutrients. Such freshes are made in restaurants, hotels, cafes and at home. For industrial production, this method is unsuitable.
Canned drinks are classified into several types:
- direct spin;
- concentrated;
- restored;
- nectar;
- fruit drink.
Direct squeezed juices
This is a freshly squeezed product that is immediately canned and packaged for future use or import. For drinks of this preparation method, only local, fresh fruits are suitable. In such juices you can not add water, dyes and flavorings. Then it is heated to approximately 78 ° C to kill bacteria and packaged. Direct-squeezed juice is considered the most natural of all types.
Concentrated juice
The concentrate is obtained by freezing, evaporation or membrane treatment. That is, water is removed from freshly squeezed juice. Then the concentrate is frozen for future use.
Recovered juice
It is made from concentrate with added water. Such drinks are also useful, since the concentrate contains all the beneficial substances. After dilution with water, the juice is pasteurized and packaged.
Nectar
It is also made from concentrate, but the percentage of water in it is greater than in reconstituted juice. In addition, sugar, flavor enhancers, colorants, etc. are added to nectar. Most often, nectar is made from fruits such as bananas, kiwi, or peaches. Since they give little natural juice and it is too thick.
Morse
A store product contains large amounts of water and sugar. Juice in it is much less than in other drinks.
Product manufacturing
Juice production takes place in several stages.
- Selection. Fruits are checked and selected. Rotten raw materials can spoil the entire volume of juice produced, so it is strictly forbidden to use it.
- Washing. Products are washed on special equipment to prevent dirt, dust and other debris from entering the juice.
- Raw material cutting. The fruit is ground for further processing.
- Squeeze. The fruits are squeezed under a press and get juice.
- Straining. The finished juice is filtered if it should be without pulp.
- Sterilization. The juice is sterilized so that it does not deteriorate.
- Mixing. Necessary additives are added in the form of water, sugar or dyes.
- Packaging. The finished product is packaged in a sealed container.
Baby juice
Any mom wants to know what juice for children is made of. Is it harmful to her baby, etc. Today, special attention is paid to the technology for the production of baby juices .
All stages of preparing juice for children are carried out in a separate workshop, under the supervision of specialists. Despite the fact that in the process of development most of the useful substances are lost, in the future their number is replenished.
Manufacturers often add vitamins and calcium to the finished product.
Before giving the baby juice, you should consult a pediatrician. Previously, doctors advised adding juice almost from the first days. But now this opinion is irrelevant, since through research it was proved that the digestive tract of the child can not yet absorb such a drink. Therefore, experts recommend the following.
- It is better to add juice to the child’s diet after a year, when the body gets stronger and the stomach can process the product.
- Do not allow your child to drink juice on an empty stomach. The most optimal intake is considered with food or immediately after it.
- It is necessary to ensure that the daily serving of juice does not exceed 200 gr.
- When choosing juice, give preference to those prepared from local products.
- Do not give multifruit juices. If the baby has an allergy, it will be very difficult to find out which fruit provoked it.
- To improve intestinal motility, you can give juice with pulp, as they have a high fiber and pectin content.
- Choose mixed juices. Their nutritional value is many times more than juice from a single product, because they perfectly complement each other with vitamins.
- If mom makes fresh at home, it is advisable to dilute it with water in 1: 1 proportions.
Recipes
To make a full-fledged juice, it is necessary to rub the fiber well. The elements located between its cells are released and fall into the juice, benefiting the body and filling it with energy. Here are a few juice recipes.
The three most popular vegetables are:
- celery 1 pc., beets 1 pc., carrots 2 pc., watercress 3 sprigs;
- tomato 2 pcs., bell pepper 1 pcs., spinach to taste;
- cucumber 2 pcs., broccoli several inflorescences, carrots 1 pc.
Vegetable juices bring great benefits to the body. They accelerate the metabolism, remove toxins and toxins, improve metabolism, contribute to weight loss, strengthen immunity.
Fruit do this:
- mix watermelon pulp, raspberries and pomegranate seeds and pass through a juicer;
- cut orange, lime and grapefruit into slices and place in a juicer or blender;
- cut the apple and pear into cubes, pineapple rings and mash with a blender.
Fruit juices have bactericidal, diuretic, anti-inflammatory effects. They remove radionuclides and toxins from the body, improve the efficiency of the immune system.
Mixed juices are made in free proportions:
- pumpkin, carrot, apple;
- carrots, orange, ginger;
- apple, spinach and carrots.
Mixed juices have a double effect in cleansing the body and completely compensate for the deficiency of vitamins.
For weight loss, using certain products, you can also make juice. The following are not juice recipes, but only the ingredients. Their number can vary.
| Vegetables | Fruits |
| Celery | Garnet |
| Cabbage | An Apple |
| Pumpkin | Grapefruit |
| Tomato | A pineapple |
| Cucumber | Kiwi |
| Beet | Watermelon |
| Eggplant | |
For people with diabetes, not all juices are suitable. But there are fruits and vegetables that in juices help speed up the metabolism, which is beneficial for diabetics.
- tomato;
- beet;
- carrot;
- potatoes;
- pumpkin;
- Garnet;
- an Apple;
- Jerusalem artichoke.
Juice selection
When choosing types of juices on the shelves of supermarkets, you should pay attention to some features.
- Choose unclarified juice with pulp. It contains dietary fiber that helps normalize digestive processes.
- When deciding what kind of juice is natural, stop choosing on a bag that says “direct spin”.
- Do not choose “juice” drinks, since the juice in them is not more than 12%.
- It is better to opt for packaged juice than for bottles.
- Natural juice cannot be made from cherries, bananas, mangoes or peaches.
Despite the benefits of natural juices, the norm of the consumed product should be observed.