Words like fresh-pressed, raw and non-HPP show up frequently on juice bottles. The terminology is more than just marketing ploys, they provide insight on just how nutritious your favorite brands are.
Learn what each one means to help you make better choices next time you're at the grocery store.
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Cold-Pressed: This juice is created with a press and slow pulverizer. Because the process is slow and doesn't cause heat, it helps to preserve enzymes and therefore important nutrients. This is a popular method used for store-bought juices.
Centrifugal: A fast-spinning blade extracts the final product. Heat created by the blades can destroy enzymes and the air that's created can start the oxidation process early. Both of these things cause the juice to lose important nutrients. Most restaurants that serve fresh juice use equipment like this.
Pasteurized: This is the process of heating juice to preserve shelf life and destroy bacteria and pathogens. Some essential enzymes are destroyed in the process.
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From concentrate, not from concentrate: Some juices are made from concentrate, a process that extracts water from the juice and freezes the leftover product, which is reconstituted with water. Not from concentrate ensures that the juice went from the juicer to the container without the extra step in between.
100% juice: If you see this label, you can be sure you're drinking all juice, no artificial sweeteners. There may be preservatives, so read the label before purchasing if you want to avoid them.
HPP: This stands for high pressure processing and is a non-thermal pasteurization process, according to JuicePress.com. This method is used to give juice a longer shelf life by deactivating certain microorganisms and enzymes.
Unfortunately, there's no way to know if your juice has been processed through HPP.
"There are no requirements by the FDA for labeling transparency with the HPP process," said Marcus Antebi, founder and CEO of Juice Press. "Companies are not required to tell you that their 'raw' juices may be older than their natural life or that their 'raw' juices are processed using HPP."
