(FT) Concentrated vs Non-Concentrated Lesson

Concentrated vs Non-Concentrated

When someone says concentrated food, one may immediately think that some of the water has been removed to save weight and volume.   Campbell's soup is an example where you must add one can of water to it. Another example would be frozen juices, where as much as 80% or more of the water is removed to save weight and space. Tomato paste would also be another one, as would evaporated milk.

You may think that juice that is not from concentrate is better than juice that is from concentrate. However, if no additional ingredients, such as sugar and chemical preservatives are added to a "from concentrate" juice, it's no worse for you than a juice that's not from concentrate.  Not from concentrate isn't the same thing as fresh, raw juice - it's simply juice that's been pasteurized without being concentrated. No matter what type of juice you get, make sure it doesn't contain added sweeteners. Both are pasteurized to remove potential pathogens that may have been in the fruit. Pasteurization involves quickly heating the juice to kill any pathogens. Commercial juices labeled not from concentrate are made by juicing the fruit, and then pasteurizing it. From concentrate juice is juiced from the fruit, then filtered through a processor that extracts water. This way the juice takes up less space when transported. Before being packaged and sold, water is added back into the concentrated juice and is pasteurized.

As long as the process only involves adding the correct amount of water back into the concentrated juice, juice form concentrate has no difference nutritionally than juice not from concentrate. The calorie content will be the same, and the nutrient density of the juice won't be affected. However, if additional ingredients are added, like sugar - the nutritional profile of the juice will be different due to the additional sugar. "Not from concentrate" juice is not necessarily healthier that "from concentrate" juice. However, it is important to read the nutrition label, choosing products that contain 100% juice without added sugars.

Orange juice that is concentrated is squeezed, pasteurized and filtered. Then it is evaporated to remove most of the water content. Orange juice that is not from concentrate is squeezed, pasteurized and filtered but at that point most of the large orange juice producers will put that orange juice into aseptic storage where the oxygen is stripped form the product and can be left for up to a year.  

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