juice

Question
Laurie;

  I've heard much about the benefits of black currant juice. The juices I find in grocery and health food stores are all pastuerized. What effect does pasturization have on the health benefits of this or any other juice?

                               Thanks
                               Bob

Answer
Dear Bob,

You hear a lot about all kinds of juices providing health benefits.  Fruits contain many different substances that we are finding can help protect our cells.  I wouldn't put a whole lot of stake in one juice over another.  And frankly, if you can eat the fruit itself, that is better for several reasons in most cases: you're usually getting a more pure form, fewer calories, and less concentrated sugar, as well as more fiber when you eat the fruit instead of the juice.  And, as I found out researching your question this morning, it turns out that pasteurization does have an effect on some of the components in juices.

Pasteurizing the fruit is for safety reasons, so bacteria won't overgrow in the juice.
That said, I did find a study on the USDA website, Title: Biodiversity of Total Phenolics, Antioxidant Capacity, and Juice Quality in Apple Cider Taxa that was submitted to the Journal of Horticulture, Environment and Biotechnology on the effect pasteurization has on phenols and antioxidants.

They found that there was no effect on the phenol content after pasteurization, but in fact there was a "significant effect" on the antioxidant activity.

Another study found a significant reduction in carotenoids (namely violaxanthin and lutein) after the pasteurization of Valencia orange juice (Effect of thermal pasteurization and concentration on carotenoid composition of Brazilian Valencia orange juice from "Food Chemistry" in 2004).

So your suspicion was correct if you assumed that there was some damage done to the juice that may affect the health benefits.  However, you are certainly getting some of the benefits drinking this juice... unless you buy the berries and make the juice yourself, it will be difficult to find unpasteurized processed juices and this is obviously for safety reasons.

1. Prev:Diet and Nutrition
2. Next:Hi Lela,  I just have a question and I hope that maybe you can help me out.