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The Secret Ingredient in Orange Juice

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Re: The Secret Ingredient in Orange Juice

#81
post #68

I know this article is trying to "scare me with science," but it actually makes me proud that science allows for orange juice year round. Fresh is always better than not fresh, but this is something we as a society should be proud of, not ashamed.

I don't know if fresh is always better. It is better at some things. I like freshly squeezed oranges at home but there have been several cases around the world where unpasteurised fresh orange juice has been the cause of salmonella infection. Sometimes we trade taste and nutrition for convenience, safety, consistency and year round availability. I like freshly squeezed oranges off my orange tree but they don't grow a…

> I like freshly squeezed oranges off my orange tree but they don't grow all year round. I am mostly happy not to consume oranges out of season but that isn't really a basis for a sustainable industry...

Actually I'd call that the definition of a basis for a sustainable industry...

Re: The Secret Ingredient in Orange Juice

#82
post #53

Having read the article I was left with the assumption that pretty much all commercial orange juice contained these "flavor packs". This does not seem to be the case: http://www.toxinless.com/orange-juice Maybe don't buy your orange juice from subsidiaries of the Coca Cola company and Pepsico, as a starting point. Also interesting: https://www.reddit.com/r/YouShouldKnow/comments/2684u1/ysk_t...

[deleted]

Re: The Secret Ingredient in Orange Juice

#83
post #77

The best orange juice I ever had was on the streets of Marakesh. It's freakin' amazing, hard to describe actually. I never before or after this visit had that good of a orange juice. https://www.google.se/search?q=marakesh+orange+juice&tbm=isc...

I've had a similar experience at a night market in Taiwan. A dude rigged up a press to squeeze the oranges into a jug then he poured it into a cup or you to buy. He had hundreds of juiced oranges in a pile beside his stand. I wish I had a picture to share.

Re: The Secret Ingredient in Orange Juice

#84
post #77

The best orange juice I ever had was on the streets of Marakesh. It's freakin' amazing, hard to describe actually. I never before or after this visit had that good of a orange juice. https://www.google.se/search?q=marakesh+orange+juice&tbm=isc...

One thing that affects perception of flavour more than anything else is how hungry and thirsty you are. Not that the orange juice in Marrakech isn't great (I've had it), but if you're really thirsty whatever you drink is going to taste amazing. Same goes for being really hungry and food.

What's interesting is that these perceptions persist even when you have those foods again. Having been exhausted and very hungry once and having had fish & chips afterwards, that flavour (of fish 'n chip-shop deep fried cod and greasy chips) still knocks me over every time I have it.

Re: The Secret Ingredient in Orange Juice

#86

This is one of the little things that make me happy about the Netherlands: the local market chains sell lots of minimally industrialized products. Orange juice tastes fresh and will spoil in a couple of days. If you still don't trust it, there are machines where you can choose fruit and squeeze your own juice. And it's usually cheaper than the big-brand alternatives.

I did that at Edeka in Germany recently. It was the only time I bought orange juice that literally tasted fresh made. Well, because it was ^.^

Re: The Secret Ingredient in Orange Juice

#87
"Juice removed from the fruit is just concentrated fructose without any of the naturally-occurring fiber, pectin, and other goodies that make eating a whole fruit good for you. Did you know, for example, that it takes 6-8 medium sized apples to make just 1 cup of apple juice? You probably wouldn’t be able to eat 6-8 medium apples in a single sitting. (I know I can barely eat one!) But you can casually throw back a cup of apple juice, and you would probably be willing to return for seconds. That’s why fruit juice is dangerous. It’s far too easy to consume far too much sugar."

This paragraph is, arguably, far more important than all the hysteria about flavor packs, but it's only partially correct. Fibre does help provide satiety but, in and of itself, it isn't what's good for you about eating whole fruit unless you simply aren't getting enough fibre and have issues with constipation. What fibre does do is reduce the rate at which we absorb sugar. Apple juice will give you a nice fast sugar high and then a low, much like candy. An apple will give you a gradual surge of energy for a while. If you're going to eat something sweet, it's far better for you if it comes combined with fibre.

So don't go searching for juice that doesn't use flavor packs. Don't buy a juicer and juice your own either, because you're still throwing away what separates fruit from candy. Don't mess around with fermenting juices and all that probiotic jazz. If you simply must drink your fruit, use a blender.

Re: The Secret Ingredient in Orange Juice

#88
On its face, I find this difficult to believe because why would any company pay to add massive amounts of chemicals to something to give it a taste that it has naturally? The most important point in the article is that storage in the oxygen-less tanks deprives the juice of its flavor. No proof is provided of this assertion. When I follow the source link I get a similar article [1] that then is sourced to a similar one [2], neither of which has and proof, other than the author's assertion. So I tried to track down the original. I found this article [3] which links the original expose to Dr. Oz (whatever) and to a book, Squeezed: What you don’t know about Orange Juice, and an interview with the author [4], where she asserts that the stored orange juice is flavorless, but we don't know if that's really true or not. Did she taste it? Reading the organic juice's page it seems clear that any 'flavor packs', which are made from orange peel and oils, are added to standardize the taste, rather than creating the taste, which seems to be a far more reasonable suggestion, but hardly something to feel alarm about.

[1] https://christinescottcheng.wordpress.com/2010/05/19/tropica...

[2] http://civileats.com/2009/05/06/freshly-squeezed-the-truth-a...

[3]http://unclematts.com/resources/flavor-packet-faqs/

[4]http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2009/02/22/...

Re: The Secret Ingredient in Orange Juice

#89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have evidence for that? I prefer freshly squeezed juice because it tastes better, but processing like this allows for cheap juice to be available in large quantities year-round, which also has value.

> which also has value. No it (i.e. orange juice) doesn't have meaningful value. It's like soda minus the bubbles. Edit: 8oz of Coca-Cola contains 26g sugar: http://www.coca-colaproductfacts.com/en/coca-cola-products/c... 8oz of Tropicana orange juice contains 22g sugar: http://www.tropicana.com/products/tropicana_pure_premium/no_... If you're concerned about your Vitamin C intake, try a multi-vitamin.

"Value" doesn't necessarily mean "nutritional value". If it tastes good, it is valuable.

Re: The Secret Ingredient in Orange Juice

#90
post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm really starting to wonder what the point of juice even is. If you want fruit, eat fruit. If you want a drink, drink some water. Why combine the two? Fruit juice seems like basically a way to drink soda but with the delusion that it's good for you.

What's wrong with smoothies? Blended fruit gives you all the fiber in the pulp and it's super convenient to consume.

I don't really like them, but it seems like a decent way to go if you do.
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