I recently looked at an orange juice bottle and noticed a small label that said, 'From concentrate with vitamin C', which made me wonder how is this different than juice straight from a fruit. Upon researching the topic I realized there wasn't much of a difference and the reason why juices are from concentrate or not is due to transport. Both processes begin with raw fruit sent through a juicing machine to remove the skins or peels. Now there are two options. First, the juice could be immediately pasteurized, a process where the juice is heated to kill any pathogens, and eventually packaged and shipped. This process is very simple, however, the juice may not be able to last very long in transit. This is where option 2 becomes beneficial. The juice can be extracted, then run through a second extractor to remove the water content. With no water present in the concentrate, the volume is much smaller and can now be transported to a second location, ideally closer to an intended market. In that second location, the concentrate has water re-added. Now it can be pasteurized and packaged for sale. Unless the seller intentionally adds more to the juice such as added sugar or vitamin C the juices are identical and neither is necessarily better or worse for you.
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