The Secret of NFC

More and more people are pursuing the quality of fruit juice, and NFC fruit juice is more popular among the public. But is NFC fruit juice really healthy

Who exactly is NFC juice?

NFC, the full name is not derived from concentrated fruit juice, but from a non concentrated fruit juice. So, what is the difference between NFC juice and traditional juice? Let's start with the production process of fruit juice.

When making concentrated fruit juice, ingredients such as water, sugar, and food additives are usually added to the original juice. According to the different substances added, it can be divided into fruit juice beverages and concentrated reconstituted fruit juice FC. Next, let's analyze NFC for juice drinks, concentrated reconstituted juice, and non concentrated reconstituted juice one by one.

Fruit juice beverage

Common fruit flavored beverages such as orange flavored drinks.

Upon closer inspection of its ingredient list, water level ranks first, followed by white sugar or sweeteners, and then fruit pulp and concentrated juice. This means that in this type of beverage, the proportion of water is the heaviest, followed by sugar, and the actual fruit juice content is actually limited. According to the national standard, this type of beverage only needs to contain more than 10% of the original fruit juice to be considered qualified.

Concentrated reconstituted juice FC (derived from concentrate)

This type of juice is often highlighted with the words "100% juice" on the packaging.

The reason why it is called "concentrated restoration" is because it only adds water back to the concentrated juice, and the amount added is exactly equal to the amount reduced during the concentration process, so it can be almost regarded as 100% juice restoration. Looking at its ingredient list, it can be seen that the ingredients are only water and concentrated fruit juice.

Non concentrated reconstituted juice NFC

The packaging of this type of beverage will be clearly labeled as "NFC juice", and the original juice will be directly disinfected and canned after pressing, avoiding the loss of nutrition and flavor during the concentration and mixing process. It is closer to the natural fruit color than concentrated reconstituted juice FC. The ingredient list is concise, with only one item being juice.

Some friends may ask, why does the production process of fruit juice drinks require the step of concentration? In fact, the soluble solids content of the concentrated juice can reach as high as 65% -75%. In short, concentration can reduce the volume and increase the concentration of fruit juice, and due to its increased acidity and sugar content, its antibacterial effect is better than that of original juice. In this way, it is convenient for packaging and transportation, and can significantly reduce costs.

With the increasing pursuit of natural and fresh food by consumers, the processing technology of fruit juice is constantly innovating, giving birth to non concentrated reconstituted fruit juice that does not require high-temperature concentration. But these beverages, which are closest to natural fruits, pose higher challenges in terms of raw material selection, processing techniques, and transportation costs.

So, the ingredients of various fruit juice drinks can be summarized as follows: Fruit juice drinks: water+sugar+concentrated fruit juice+food additives

Concentrated reconstituted juice: water+concentrated juice

Non concentrated reconstituted juice (NFC juice): pure juice

So, what is the nutritional value of NFC juice?

Although NFC juice is closest to natural fruits, its nutritional value is still slightly inferior.

Taking apples as an example, investigate in detail the loss of nutrients during the process of making apple juice. The insoluble nutrients in apples, such as dietary fiber, carotenoids (lutein, zeaxanthin), and minerals such as calcium, are often filtered out during the production process. If the juice you purchase contains a certain amount of fruit pulp, the loss of these nutrients will be relatively less.

As for the severe loss of insoluble nutrients, can water-soluble nutrients be spared? The answer is that when the cell wall of an apple ruptures, water-soluble nutrients such as vitamin C, quercetin, catechins, anthocyanins, etc. can easily come into contact with oxygen and enzymes in the flesh, leading to rapid oxidation and decomposition. Therefore, water-soluble vitamins are also inevitably destroyed.

The advantage of NFC juice is that it avoids nutrient loss during the concentration and mixing process. However, fruit juice needs to undergo sterilization treatment before canning, usually using heat treatment techniques. High temperature environments can cause a large amount of water-soluble vitamins (such as vitamin C, vitamin B1, vitamin B2) to break down.

With the advancement of technology, the ultra-high pressure sterilization technology HPP (note: this technology can eliminate pathogenic microorganisms without destroying nutritional components) has begun to be applied. Although it can retain more nutrients, its effectiveness in eliminating spores is limited. It usually requires cold chain transportation and low-temperature sales, and has a shorter shelf life than traditional heat-treated fruit juice.

In summary, even NFC fruit juice has far less nutritional value than fresh fruit (containing insoluble fiber, certain minerals, and bioactive compounds such as phenols). But compared to fruit juice drinks and 100% reconstituted fruit juice, NFC fruit juice is more nutritious.

Nutritional value ranking: Fresh fruits>NFC juice>100% restored juice>Juice drinks