Ask an average person the difference between a fruit juice and fruit nectar and chances are that you would draw a blank. A vast majority of people choose a fruit drink with eyes closed. They think they are getting all the health benefits of the fruit that is mentioned on the label. They in fact think they are drinking fresh fruit pulp and so consuming something very healthy. However, there are differences between fruit juice and fruit nectar that will be highlighted in this article.
We all know that fruit juice is the fresh juice extracted from the pulp of fruits and we expect to get just that when we buy a bottle of cold drink labeled as a fruit drink. Those who have some knowledge of botany know that nectar is a sweet liquid secreted by flowers that attract pollinating insects. But in beverage industry, nectar has come to mean a type of non-carbonated soft drink made with fresh juice. It is differentiated with any drink that has been labeled as fruit juice by the industry as it is not 100% fruit juice, and can and does contain many other ingredients including water, sweeteners, and preservatives. There are no industry standards and so you can have a fruit nectar having fruit juice from anywhere in the range of 0-100%. Fruit juice on the other hand is a natural drink prepared by crushing the pulp of a fresh fruit. It contains no preservatives and flavors.
It is important to note that fruit juice is freshly squeezed from fruit pulp and is treated against deteriorated and spoilage, or processed into a concentrate where water is extracted from the juice. Fruit nectar is a fruit juice that contains a lower percentage of juice than pure fruit juice. When two or more fruit juices are mixed, the drink is called a nectar blend.
Now that you have the information, make sure to have a look at the ingredients in a bottle before you buy a drink claiming to be fruit juice.
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In brief: • Fruit drinks in the market look all alike and people find it hard to differentiate between fruit juice and fruit nectar. • While a fruit juice contains 100% fresh fruit juice that has been processed after extracting water from it, nectar is a drink that contains lesser percentage of fruit juice and has other ingredients such as preservatives and sugar.
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