By Elloise-Beth Schmidt


The first thing you must be aware of regarding commercial products if the difference between juice and drink. Items like blends and drinks may not contain much actual fruit juice. They are generally nothing more than water with sugar added. Items labeled as ciders or juice must be real fruit juice.

Commercial products are often pasteurized. Dangerous bacteria and other pathogens are removed from food items through pasteurization. Only ten percent or less of microorganisms survive it making the foodstuffs safe for human consumption. Juices are rapidly heated and cooled in both the standard practice and high heat methods.

The bad news is many beneficial nutrients and vitamins are also eliminated. Mr Jorda in General Bacteriology 12th edition states that vitamin C is weakened during pasteurization. It further states that children who drink only pasteurized milk may lack vitamin C and be at risk. The article Milk: It Does a Body Good by nutritionist Lori Lopinski says that half of the vitamin C is removed by milk pasteurization. She also states that a portion of vitamins A, D and E are lost. The vitamin C loss is more significant since it is water soluble while the others are fat soluble.

Vitamin loss during pasteurization is a source of argument. Pasteurization proponents argue very little loss occurs and that the benefits outweigh this small amount of loss. However, it is easy to check in the company behind your brand of juice is adding vitamin C. One of the ingredients on the label of your juice is likely ascorbic acid. Vitamin C is ascorbic acid. If it is there, it has been artificially added. The manufacturer will do this to replace losses so that the product can meet the vitamin C claims it makes.

Some juices are not pasteurized. Odwalla juice was not pasteurized until an incident on October 7, 1996. In 1996 apples used in the juice were responsible for a E coli contamination. They now pasteurize their juices. Odwalla was acquired by The Coca-Cola Company in 2001. In addition, the US FDA requires that manufacturers label pasteurized products. This is done to inform the public which juices are deemed safe for consumption.

Exposure to oxygen also destroys vitamin C. Vitamin C is one of many antioxidants. It is named that because it retards the process of oxidation. Oxygen is destructive because it binds easily with other molecules. Antioxidants are a source of electrons and prevent oxygen from oxidizing other molecules. Oxygen is a free radical and can potentially damage cells in the body. By consuming antioxidants the free radicals are neutralized before they hurt organs or tissues. So ascorbic acid will react with air.




About the Author:



0 commentaires:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to RSS Feed Follow me on Twitter!