Fruit juice concentrate is convenient. You can leave it in your freezer until you are ready to use it. You simply mix it with water, often using the can as a measuring cup.
But how is fruit juice concentrate made, and what happens to the fruit before that little container reaches your freezer?
Interestingly, the process used to make fruit juice concentrate begins much like the process for making not-from-concentrate juice. The biggest difference comes later, when much of the water is removed from the juice so that it can be stored, transported and eventually reconstituted.
What Is Fruit Juice Concentrate?
Fruit juice naturally contains a large amount of water. To make concentrate, manufacturers remove a significant portion of that water, leaving behind a much smaller volume of concentrated juice.
When the concentrate is ready to be consumed, water is added back to approximately restore the juice to its original strength.
This is why a carton labeled “100% juice from concentrate” can still contain 100% fruit juice. “From concentrate” describes how the juice was processed; it does not automatically mean that it contains added sugar, artificial flavors or less actual fruit juice.
How Is Fruit Juice Concentrate Made?
A manufacturing company inspects the fruit for ripeness and quality, then uses machines to extract the juice and filter some or all of the pulp.
The company then heats the juice for pasteurization. It can separate juice that will be sold as liquid, not-from-concentrate juice from juice that will be made into fruit juice concentrate.
The juice set to become concentrate goes into an evaporator, which heats the product under controlled conditions. Much of the water evaporates, leaving a concentrated juice behind.
The company can then store the concentrate for later packaging, freeze it or use it as an ingredient in juice that will eventually be reconstituted with water.
Why Is Water Removed From Fruit Juice?
Removing water has some practical advantages.
Fruit juice is heavy and bulky because so much of it is water. Once much of that water has been removed, the concentrate requires less space to store and can be easier and more economical to transport.
Imagine shipping several containers of ready-to-drink orange juice compared with shipping a smaller quantity of concentrated orange juice and adding water closer to where the finished product will be packaged. That difference in volume is one reason fruit juice concentrate became such a useful product for the food industry.
Concentration can also make it easier for manufacturers to store juice before it is packaged and sold.
How Is Orange Juice Concentrate Made?
Orange juice concentrate is one of the most familiar examples of the process.
After oranges are washed, sorted and squeezed, the extracted juice is filtered and processed. The juice intended for concentration then passes through evaporation equipment that removes water.
Traditionally, many orange juice processors have used equipment known as a Thermally Accelerated Short-Time Evaporator, or TASTE system. The goal is to remove water efficiently while limiting the amount of time the juice is exposed to heat.
Once concentrated, the orange juice can be chilled or frozen until it is ready for packaging or reconstitution.
Does Heating Change the Taste of Fruit Juice Concentrate?
The heat required during processing can alter the flavor and aroma of juice somewhat.
That’s one reason juice made from concentrate may taste different from freshly squeezed juice or some not-from-concentrate products.
Manufacturers can use different processing technologies and techniques to minimize those changes and help preserve the juice’s characteristic flavor.
Ultimately, however, taste is subjective. Some people strongly prefer not-from-concentrate juice, while others may not notice much difference.
Benefits of Fruit Juice Concentrate
If you drink a great deal of orange juice, the benefits of using concentrate can be clear. Frozen concentrate takes up much less space in your freezer than several cartons of ready-to-drink juice.
You can mix up the concentrate at your leisure rather than storing multiple containers of prepared juice.
The smaller package can also be convenient for shopping and storage, particularly for families who don’t have much refrigerator space.
Concentrated juice is also widely used by food manufacturers because it can be easier to transport and store than equivalent quantities of full-strength juice.
Is Fruit Juice Concentrate Nutritionally Different?
You may find a difference in taste between juice from concentrate and juice that is not from concentrate, though both differ from juice you squeeze yourself at home.
Nutritionally, however, it isn’t quite accurate to say that there is no difference between the different types of juice.
Processing, heat, storage and the particular fruit can affect certain nutrients, especially some vitamins. Manufacturers may also add nutrients such as vitamin C back to a juice after processing.
Because products differ, the best approach is to compare the Nutrition Facts labels rather than assuming that either concentrate or not-from-concentrate juice will always be more nutritious.
Also look for the words “100% juice.” A beverage made from concentrate can still be 100% juice, while a “juice drink,” “juice beverage” or “cocktail” may contain a smaller percentage of fruit juice along with other ingredients.
Does Fruit Juice Concentrate Have Added Sugar?
Not necessarily.
The concentration process removes water; it does not inherently require manufacturers to add sugar.
Fruit already contains naturally occurring sugars, and those become more concentrated when water is removed. When the concentrate is correctly reconstituted with water, the resulting 100% juice can have a sugar concentration similar to the original juice.
However, some juice drinks and beverages may contain added sweeteners, so it’s worth checking both the ingredient list and the Added Sugars line on the Nutrition Facts label.
Environmental Considerations
Older comparisons sometimes suggested that not-from-concentrate juice was automatically the greener choice because producing concentrate requires energy to remove water.
The environmental comparison is more complicated than that.
Concentration does require additional processing and energy, and frozen concentrate may require energy for cold storage. On the other hand, removing water dramatically reduces the weight and volume of juice that must be transported. That can reduce the energy required during shipping.
Packaging, processing methods, transportation distances, refrigeration and storage all contribute to a product’s environmental footprint.
As a result, you cannot determine which juice is the most environmentally friendly simply by looking for “from concentrate” or “not from concentrate” on the label.
Fruit Juice Concentrate vs. Not From Concentrate
The key difference comes down to that extra concentration step.
Not-from-concentrate juice is extracted, processed and packaged without first removing much of its water.
Fruit juice from concentrate has much of its water removed before storage or transportation. Water is later added back before the finished juice is sold, unless you are purchasing frozen concentrate and adding the water yourself at home.
Both products can be made entirely from fruit juice.
So, How Is Fruit Juice Concentrate Made?
If you’ve ever wondered how is fruit juice concentrate made, the answer is relatively straightforward: fruit is squeezed to extract its juice, the juice is processed and pasteurized, and much of its water is removed through evaporation or another concentration process.
The resulting concentrate takes up less space and can be stored or transported more efficiently. When it’s time to turn it back into drinkable juice, water is added again.
Whether you choose fruit juice concentrate, not-from-concentrate juice or freshly squeezed juice ultimately comes down to factors such as taste, price, convenience and the particular product’s nutritional profile.
