Tart Cherry Concentrate – The Latest Trend Of The Year 2011}
Tart Cherry Concentrate – The Latest Trend of the Year 2011
by
Vernon VanDree
Tart cherry products are all the rage lately. Since nationally distributed More magazine naming cherry juice as one of the hottest trends of 2010; Dr. Oz talking about the health benefits of this small bright red fruit, no wonder more arthritis pain sufferers are seeking out the tart cherry. So with all of this attention being shown upon this Northern Michigan grown super fruit, it makes sense to uncover more about this unique arthritis pain soothing fruit. One of the most popular type of this product is the liquid cherry juice concentrate. So with all of this attention on this fruit, what should consumers look for to make a good purchasing decision?
Here are a few things to think about when purchasing a tart cherry juice product:
The following are five critical areas consumers need to look for when making a tart cherry juice concentrate purchase: the type of cherry, the quality, the taste, the packaging and finally a sediment-free money-back guarantee.
The Type of Cherry: Most of the research you read about the joint pain combating ability of tart cherries and cherry juice has been conducted on the Montmorency tart cherry. It is true other varieties of the cherries exist including the black cherry, Balaton and Rainer, the variety of fruit that has the majority of published research is the Montmorency tart cherry. Although the Montmorency tart cherry juice is a little more expensive than sweet cherry juice, the published research supports the ability of the red cherry to combat joint pain due to arthritis and gout.
The Quality: Not all cherry juice concentrate products are the same quality. 1 vital measurement of the quality for tart cherry juice concentrate is the Brix amount (pronounced bricks). Brix is the measurement of the level of naturally occurring fructose in the product. The highest marker for tart cherry juice is sixty-eight Brix. Make sure to know the brix amount in any tart cherry product you purchase. This number is more than likely printed on the product label or published on the company website. If the brix level is lower than sixty-eight brix, you probably need to think about the overall quality of the final product.
The Taste: Just Like all consumable products, taste profile is vital. Cherry juice is packaged in plastic bottles, aluminum cans with plastic liners and glass bottles. Based on research funded by the cherry industry, subject in a study liked the overall taste of cherry juice packaged in the glass bottles over the product in plastic and aluminum bottles. Based upon results of the study, people told the researchers the cherry juice bottled in the glass bottles provided a more crisp taste profile. One of the reasons this is true is it could be the fact that the glass bottles prevent plastic leaching. Leaching is a byproduct of products being bottled in plastic and the juice itself actually absorbs the plastic molecules directly from the plastic bottle. Plastic Leaching is not a concern for cherry juice bottled in glass.
The Packaging: 2 varities of cherry juice production for cherry juice products are available: cold-packed and hot-packed. Below is a basic explanation of both:
Cold-packed – The cherry juice concentrate is taken from a 52 gallon drum and pumped into individual plastic bottles. In addition, many of the cherry companies selling cold-packed cherry juice indicate cold-packed cherry juice must be refrigerated. That is the reason the majority of the tart cherry juice concentrate juices are only available in the refrigerated section of your local grocery stores. Cold-packing is also the less costly way to produce cherry juice concentrate since some companies actually fill their plastic bottles over a utility sink by hand.
Hot-packed – The cherry juice is taken from a 52 gallon drum, flash pasteurized, and then bottled into the bottles. Hot-packed cherry juice concentrate is shelf-stable and doesn’t require refrigeration for shipping, storage or until the bottle is opened. After the final product is open it does need to be refrigerated. Hot-packed cherry juice can be shipped without refrigeration and is shelf stable. The hot-pack production process is very similar to the canning process where all of the oxygen is removed from the bottle.
Unfortunately, a few companies lead the buyer to belief that cold-packed juice is not heated (pasteurized). This is simply not true. Cherry juice concentrate is stored in 52 gallon drums and before the cherry juice is pumped in these drums, the product is flash pasteurized. Thus if a company simply pumps the cherry juice from the 52 gallon drums and individually fills the plastic bottles, cherry juice has been heated. If a company says their product is cold-packed and has not been heated, they probably are not be telling the entire truth.
The Stability: Product stability is vital not only for shipping purposes but also storage. The vast majority of companies selling cherry juice are offering the product cold-packed in plastic bottles. This means the juice should probably be keep cold during shipping and storage. Yet many of these companies freely send cold-packed cherry juice across the entire country in unrefrigerated cardboard shipping boxes with statements saying the product must be place in the refrigerator upon arrival. This simply doesn’t make since. It would be similar to shipping a gallon of milk from Maine to Washington in a cardboard box and telling the customer to place it in the refrigerator when it arrives. Hot-packed cherry juice can be sent without refrigeration and kept without refrigeration.
A Sediment-Free Guarantee: Sedimentation is a big concern for many cherry juice drinkers. Sedimentation occurs when the concentrate itself breaks down and thick residue settles on the bottom of the bottle. Sedimentation may be the result of poor quality concentrate or a lacking bottling process. Search out cherry juice products that offer a sediment free guarantee.
The author always studies wellness issues then blogs on the findings so that you are maybe a lot more aware of the facts. Thus, you are much better informed to make an thoughtful decision on your choice of therapy and 100% natural cure. Keep in mind to often contact your physician first.
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Tart Cherry Concentrate – The Latest Trend of the Year 2011
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