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The fresh fruit goes through a series of preparatory steps i.e. selection of undamaged, ripe fruit, sorting and washing followed by the extraction process. The latter includes various methods but generally involves a pulveriser and / or press. The juice is then filtered to obtain a clear juice. The last step can be omitted if a cloudy juice is desired. The final step is a heat treatment called pasteurisation which ensures the product is safe for consumption.

The method used to extract the juice from the fruit, depends on the type of fruit:

• Citrus, apples, pears and grapes are naturally juicy which enables them to be mechanically pressed and then filtered;
• Melon and papaya are steamed in order to release the juice;
• Fruit like Mango, guava, pineapple and strawberry must be pulped to extract the juice. When fruit is pulped, it is either pushed through a perforated metal plate that crushes it to a pulp or it is pulped in a liquidizer. The pulp is then filtered to remove the bigger fruit pieces.

Fruit juice starts to deteriorate as soon as it is extracted from the fruit as a result of enzyme action and bacterial spoilage. Extracted fruit juice that is left to stand for long periods out of a fridge will start to ferment and discolour. To avoid fermentation, deterioration or discolouring, the best quality fruit juice is made by minimizing the time between the extraction of the juice and bottling/canning.

Fruit juices that are aseptically packed are pasteurized to preserve them. The heat processing destroys the enzymes that are naturally found in the fruit, which can cause the juice to spoil and discolour and also kills any spoilage micro-organisms and pathogens that may be found in fruit. These products will typically have a shelf life of 12 months.

Modern pasteurization has minimal harmful effects on the taste, physical and nutritional content of the juice. The heat process may however destroy some of the heat-sensitive nutrients (such as vitamin C and the B vitamins), but these can be restored to the product, as long as they are correctly labeled.

In the case of fresh fruit juice, which is usually squeezed from the fruit at the point of sale, the law requires that for food safety reasons, no more than 2 hours can elapse between the extraction of the juice and the sale and consumption of the juice.

In the case of chilled juices, preservatives are needed to prevent spoilage by microorganisms thus maintaining product quality and safety for the required shelf life of the product. These juices normally have a shelf life of maximum 2 – 3 months.

The juice extracted from the fruit in the process of making fruit juice, is naturally cloudy but it can be clarified by filtering the juice. The extracted juice or pulp is filtered by means of dedicated filters. In some cases enzymes are used to clarify and stabilize the juice. Fruit juice like apple, pear and grape juice is generally clarified because of consumer preference. Clarified apple and grape juice is also used extensively as a base for making juices with other pulpy fruit ingredients like mango or guava.

Heat-sensitive nutrients such as vitamin C and the B vitamins may be partially destroyed during the heat treatment used to preserve the fruit juice, but these nutrients are legally allowed to be restored to the product, as long as they are correctly labelled. The benefit of microbiologically safe fruit juice, that is the purpose of the heat treatment, outweighs the partial loss of some of the vitamins.

In South Africa there are specific regulations relating to fruit juices; what they may contain in terms of additives; and that sets definitions and standards for each class of fruit juice based on its composition. It is important to note that there is a large variation from ‘fresh fruit juice’ which is 100% fruit juice that has been freshly squeezed, to ‘fruit drink ‘ which contains only 6 % fruit juice.

Fresh Fruit Juice:
This is fruit juice that is generally freshly squeezed in the store where it is sold; contains no additives; and is preserved only by refrigeration.

(Unsweetened) Fruit Juice:
This is fruit juice which will have all the characteristics of the fruit from which it was derived. It may not contain any additional sugar, whether from sugar cane, beet sugar, honey or other sugar syrups. Because fruits vary in the amount of their natural sugar content, the minimum sugar content of each fruit juice is regulated. Permitted additives include acidifying agents, preservatives, ascorbic acid, carbon dioxide and in some cases colourants. This class of juice can have a shelf life of 30 days to 12 months, depending on the method of preservation and packaging.

Fruit Nectar:
This is a juice beverage which consists of juice and water with or without the addition of sugar. The resulting beverage would contain at least 12.5% juice in the case of lemon or lime and up to 50% in the case of fruits like apple and orange. The minimum amount of fruit juice content is legislated in the regulations.

Fruit Drink and Squash:
This class of fruit beverage is also a mixture of juice and sugar with or without the addition of water, with the exception that the juice content is much lower. A fruit drink has a fruit content of only 6%. A fruit squash is a concentrated fruit drink which means that it must be reconstituted before use. As a result the fruit content in the concentrate (squash) is a minimum of 24%.

Yes, all fruit juice contains sugar because fruit itself naturally contains sugar. The natural sugar content of fruit is between 8% and 12%, but the actual levels vary from fruit to fruit and with the stage of ripeness of the fruit as well as the geographical location where the fruit was grown.

Some form of sugar, based on the amount already present in the juice, is also added to the fruit pulp when making commercial fruit juice and serves two main purposes.

The first is that clarified apple, pear or grape juice is added to fruit pulps such as guava and mango to obtain a drinkable fruit juice. This is because these fruits generally contain so much pulp, that they are too thick to drink and so need to be diluted.

The second reason for adding clarified apple, pear or grape juice, is because many consumers demand a sweeter product than the natural juice sweetness. Sucrose, usually in the form of a sugar syrup, is used instead of clarified juice to obtain a cheaper beverage such as a nectar or fruit drink. The regulations have a set sugar content for the different types of fruit juice.

Various legislation regulates the manufacture and labelling of fruit juice in South Africa. The Department of Agriculture, manage a regulation relating to the classification, packing and marking of fruit juice and drinks. The Directorate of Food Control manages the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act, that includes a number of regulations that impact on fruit juice manufacturers including labelling regulations and regulations that set limits for the use of various additives in fruit juices.

Juice from fruit like apples, grapes and oranges is extracted and subsequently concentrated (water is removed by means of evaporation) to reduce the volume and to prolong the shelf life of the product. For ready-to-drink consumption, the concentrate is diluted again before bottling. This “add back” of water is called reconstitution.

Most juices on the market are made from concentrate which does not have the ‘fresh aroma’ due to the heat treatment.

There are some products on the market which are made only from juice which has not been concentrated and is called “not-from-concentrate”. These juices do taste more like the ‘home made’ product.

In terms of the South African legislation, a 100% juice will consist of the natural juice of the named fruit(s), with the possibility of permitted preservatives, citric acid, ascorbic acid, carbon dioxide, natural essences / aromas. It does not contain added sugars derived from any other source ie sugar beet / cane, invert sugar etc.

These juices are prepared from fruit grown without the use of pesticides and not derived from genetically modified crops. All manufacturers are independently certified before they are able to use the term organic.

Does not contain food additives (unless they are natural components) or have any part removed or changed. The word ‘natural’ and ‘pure’ is highly regulated by the SA labelling regulation and may only be used under specific circumstances.

No added sugar – products may not contain any added sugar / sweetener (including honey, malt, malt extract or maltose) but, of course, still contain the natural sugars of the fruit juice.