Juice: Distilling the Essence of Fruits

[Source]

"After fresh fruit, one of the most common fruit products is fruit juice. Fruit juice can take on many forms, including a natural-style cloudy product, a 'nectar'-type product containing suspended solids, a fully clarified juice, juice concentrate, and fruit drinks." - ["fruit processing." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite.  Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2014.]

Just as there are many Biblical references to fruits, we can also find a reference to fruit juice. And it is a positive one: "I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother's house, who would instruct me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate." (Song of Solomon 8:2).

In any case, since they come from fruits, they would, from the viewpoint of diabetics, be permitted, subject to dietary limitations. Which brings us to our point of interest, sugar-free fruit juice products.

In the past, sugar was usually added to fruit juice, to increase their attractiveness and hence salability by catering to people's sweet tooth. It was not until very recently that fruit juice products were directed to our sector, and in general to those who prefer products that are out sugared. And this brings us to fruit juice "without added sugar".

"Sugar-free" Fruit Juice

Since fruit, and fruit juice, contains natural sugar, it would not be correct to say that it is sugar-free. But products of interest to us would not have added sugar, and that is usually that is what appears on the label: "no added sugar" or "no sugar added".

Foreign fruit juice producers have been the first to cater to the sector requiring or preferring unsugared fruit juice. Here are those that I have been able to find locally:

Ceres, from South Africa, is one of the locally available brands without added sugar.  It offers, in 200-milliliter and one-liter packages, apple, grape, apricot, peach, mango, litchi, papaya, passion fruit, pear, pomegranate and lime, youngberry, pineapple, cranberry and kiwi, ruby grapefruit, and serveral blends - "medley of fruits," "whispers of summer," "secrets of the valley". Ceres is so unequivocally sugar-free that its website declares that "Our juices contain no added sugar or preservatives."

Then, there is the Turkish Dimes, which has individual fruits - apple, grape, orange, pineapple, pomegranate, grape and mango, grape and apricot, Juice100% grape and sour cherry,  Juice 100% peach and grape and tomato juice, as well as "fruit juice blends," "multi fruit" or "mixed fruits."

Harvey Fresh, from Australia, which also produces milk and dairy products, also produces sugar-free versions of our topic of interest. The company offers, in 250-milliliter and one-liter packages, orange, apple, carrot, grapefruit and tropical fruit juice.

Mott's, a US-based company owned by Cadbury Schweppes, produces apple, grape, strawberry, fruit punch, mixed berry and vegetable juice, though it is not indicated in the website which of these do not have added sugar. I have been able to locate the apple juice  (in 1.9-liter or two-quart plastic bottles) locally, though not the other juice products. The label carries the words "no sugar added".

For local companies, or companies with local subsidiaries, both Del Monte and Dole offer pineapple juice "with no sugar added". This is available in 240-milliliter aluminum cans. Dole, however, does not announce this in the label. One has to read through the package to find that no additional sugar has been included in their pineapple juice. Dole also produces, from the United States (but available locally), fruit juice that does not have added sugar, such as prune juice.

Tipco, which is produced by Del Monte, announces in its website that it has "with no sugar added, no preservatives, no colorants and no artificial flavorings". Its flavors, its website informs us, are pomegranate, aloe vera,broccoli, mixed vegetables, cranberry, cherry berry, orange medley and red grape.

Fruit Juice Product Websites

• Ceres
• Del Monte
• DOLE
• Dimes
• Harvey Fresh
• Tipco
• Motts