Thursday’s Tip: Lay off the (pasteurized) “Juice”

You might want to think twice before reaching for the “made from 100% pure squeezed oranges” orange juice at the store. That “pure” OJ has a secret—it’s not pure at all. Knowing this dirty labeling secret could lead to better health.

In order to gain shelf life, orange juice has to be pasturized. Why? After the orange is juiced, it begins to oxidize, which can affect the nutrients in the juice. The best way to get the most nutrients out of your juice is to drink it right after juicing. In order to fight the oxidation process, juice makers pasteurize their juices. In this process, the oxygen is sucked out of the juice, which unfortunately leads its loss of flavor.

If the juice has lost its flavor, how come the orange juice from the store doesn’t taste bland? Juice companies end up hiring perfume companies to create an orange flavor to put back into the juice! This means that we are consuming the chemicals the perfume companies use to make their ”flavor packs.” Ever wonder why the orange juice you buy at the store always tastes the same and never tastes quite like the OJ you make at home?

Links:

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2009-05/14/things-you-never-knew-you-wanted-to-know-about-orange-juice.aspx
http://civileats.com/2010/01/25/getting-fresh-an-interview-with-alissa-hamilton-on-orange-juice/
http://yalepress.yale.edu/yupbooks/book.asp?isbn=9780300124712
http://www.foodrenegade.com/secret-ingredient-your-orange-juice/
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2009/05/ask-an-academic-orange-juice.html

Tags | flavor packs, orange juice, pasteurization, xenoestrogens