Some orange juice in SA has more sugar than Coke – and about as much vitamin C

Glass of orange juice with plenty of sugar cubes

(Getty)

Orange juice could appear to be a more healthy choice than a can of soppy drink.
However many manufacturers on South African grocery store cabinets comprise as a lot sugar as a Coke or Pepsi – and solely traces of vitamin C.
Though some have added vitamin C throughout the manufacturing course of, no main model has greater than a glass of freshly squeezed juice.
Here is how a number of main manufacturers of orange juice stack up on the vitamin C and sugar fronts.
For extra tales go to www.BusinessInsider.co.za.

Nutritionally, processed orange juice isn’t a lot more healthy for you than a glass of a typical soft drink. At greatest, it might comprise a number of added nutritional vitamins and a few grams much less sugar – at worst, it comprises extra sugar than vitamin C.

A lot of the perceived well being advantages of a glass of orange are little greater than the results of what some name a wholesome consuming halo effect – a cognitive bias, typically pounced on by foods and drinks producers to extend gross sales. In the USA, the place a glass of orange juice was thought-about a breakfast staple for years, many are beginning to turn away from it, as consciousness grows over its restricted dietary worth.

Though winter normally marks a rise within the sale of orange juice, and Covid-19 gave citrus sales an extra boost in 2020, analysis means that the beverage has little impact on serving to you get well from colds or flu.

Most orange juices are additionally loaded with sugar – probably the most sugar-rich orange juice that Enterprise Insider South Africa recognized comprises as a lot sugar as drinks like Coke and Pepsi. This excessive sugar content material, some studies suggest, may very well do extra hurt than good when combating winter bugs.

Despite this, many orange juice producers go to lengths to push the supposed well being advantages, or at the very least tacitly elude to them. Most orange and fruit juices in South Africa clarify point out of the presence of nutritional vitamins – most notably vitamin C – on the packaging of their drinks, presumably as a option to promote a point of healthiness.

Oranges, of their unique state, are supply of vitamin C – however the course of of manufacturing orange juice that may sit on cabinets for months or years could degrade this dietary worth.

In accordance with the Food and Allergy Consulting and Testing Services (FACTS), primarily based in Stellenbosch, most business fruit juice is created from hydrated juice concentrates. Through the extraction, filtration, clarification, focus, and reconstitution processes, lots of the vitamins naturally current in fruit juice are misplaced.

One study additionally discovered that able to serve orange juices usually comprise 25% much less vitamin C per serving than frozen concentrates, partly as a consequence of warmth destroying naturally occurring vitamin C.

Because of this, many producers enrich their drinks with nutritional vitamins after they’ve concluded the processing phases, after which record this prominently on their packaging, and on their dietary labels. Some manufacturers do not trouble with this step, and don’t have any vitamin C in them in any respect.

Though the excessive sugar content material, and ingesting processed and reconstituted fruit juice, is way from the best and healthiest option to obtain a dose of vitamin C, all orange juices Enterprise Insider SA checked out have considerably lower than the 48mg of vitamin C per 100ml current in a freshly squeezed orange. And three have extra sugar in them than they do vitamin C.

Not less than two orange juices had no vitamin C in them – regardless of each being known as “100%” orange juice.