How can you judge whether juice is really freshly squeezed?
I already know that boxed or cartoned juice is less likely to have been freshly squeezed, but what about transparent bottled juice especially in the refrigerated section of supermarkets?
This article from the Atlantic and Squeezed: What You Don't Know About Orange Juice evidence that modifiers like 'freshly squeezed' and/or '100%' and/or 'pure' can mislead and prove false.
Best Answer
This isn't exactly scientific but..
Taste. Specifically looking for the taste difference between pasteurized and un-pasteurized juice. Pasteurized orange juice has a distinct tart taste that just isn't there with fresh juice.
I guess it depends on your exact meaning of "fresh", but if it hasn't been pasteurized then it will have a shelf-life of only a few days.
The legal specifics of the terms will vary from country to country, so if you have one in mind then you might have to mention that. Although as you hinted at, the legally defined terms are often side-stepped and might not be much use.
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How do you know if juice is fresh?
This is how you know your juice isn't fresh anymore...It should be a lighter version of the color of the juice. In this case, it should be light green. You can also tell that a juice has "turned" when you smell or taste it and it is off/vinegar-like/carbonated or the bottle has expanded and looks over-stuffed.What is a freshly squeezed juice?
Freshly squeezed juice is made from whole fruit or vegetables that are pressed or squeezed to extract the juice and is not pasteurized.How can you tell if orange juice is freshly squeezed?
Pour out a bit of juice into a transparent glass and check. If the juice has changed in color, it's time to go. The container is bulging. This is a sign of fermentation, so just throw that thing out already.Is Fresh juice really fresh?
According to FDA guidelines, a product can be called "fresh" if it is pasteurized as long as "the term does not suggest or imply that a food is unprocessed or unpreserved." They give the example of milk which "consumers commonly understand \u2026 is nearly always pasteurized." In 1969 the FDA said that using the word "fresh ...How Can Fresh-Squeezed Organic Orange Juice Be Bad? Should You Drink It?
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Answer 2
I'd say that the first clue is in the fact that the juice is in the supermarket at all. Unless you see an actual apparatus on site that does the squeezing while you wait, you have to assume that the juice was produced somewhere off site and then transported to the store you are visiting.
Answer 3
Nothing beats experience. Have you ever tasted juice just squeezed from oranges or apples? Nothing else compares to this. In restaurants or shops you often get "freshly squeezed" juice that only once was freshly squeezed - a long time ago. If you know the taste of freshly squeezed juice you will never be fooled again.
Answer 4
According to Juice and Cider: Make Sure They're Safe
Some grocery stores, health food stores, cider mills, and farm markets sell packaged juice that was made on site that has not been pasteurized or processed to ensure its safety. These untreated products should be kept refrigerated and are required to carry the following warning label:
WARNING: This product has not been pasteurized and therefore may contain harmful bacteria that can cause serious illness in children, the elderly, and persons with weakened immune systems.
So if it carries the 'has-not-been-pasteurized' warning then it is freshly squeezed.
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