Orange juice is much healthier than oranges

Healthy ingredients from the juice better absorbable than from the fruit

03/25/2015

The healthy ingredients of the oranges can be absorbed much better when consuming orange juice than when eating the whole fruit, according to a recent study at the University of Hohenheim. Researchers strongly disagree with the opinion of some critics that orange juice is considered unhealthy because of its high sugar content.

Oranges offer a high content of health-promoting nutrients. You have „In addition to a high concentration of vitamin C over a variety of carotenoids and flavonoids, which can reduce the risk of certain cancers or cardiovascular disease“, the research team reports to the doctoral student Julian Aschoff and study leader Professor Dr. Reinhold Carle, Chair of the Department of Technology and Analysis of Plant Food at the University of Hohenheim. In their latest study, they asked what is actually healthier - the whole fruit or the orange juice.

Criticism of the orange juice because of high sugar content
In the recent past, the reputation of orange juice had suffered significantly because of the relatively high natural sugar content, as for many dietitians the sugar in food was a fundamental evil, according to the University of Hohenheim. Often, therefore, instead of pressed orange juice rather advised to eat oranges. In England even one „penalty tax“ has been proposed on all fruit juices and orange juices have been used as „Junkfood“ banished from some kindergartens, the university continues to report. The current study has clearly refuted these reservations about orange juice. In fact, nutrients from the juice would potentially be better absorbed by the body than from the fruit itself, says study leader Professor Carle. Although the carotenoid and vitamin C levels in juice production would be slightly reduced, but at the same time take „the release of these ingredients and thus the proportion that the body can absorb and utilize, many times over.“

In vitro model simulates digestive processes
To verify the intake of nutrients when consuming orange or orange juice, the researchers use an in vitro model that simulates the digestive process of the human body. This model of the human digestive tract is a standard worldwide method for determining the release of nutrients from food, said Aschoff. In the test tube successively the same conditions have been created as prevail in the mouth, stomach and small intestine in the digestion of orange and orange juice. „In addition to imitating the human chewing effect to crush the fruit, the scientists also added saliva, digestive enzymes and bile, modeled the movements of the food in the gastrointestinal tract and conducted the studies at body temperature“, so the message of the University of Hohenheim. All processes were done exclusively in the dark, so light-sensitive ingredients were preserved, Aschoff continues.

Pasteurized juice better than freshly squeezed
For the study, the researchers made juice from one of the most popular orange varieties - the navel orange - where they produced in addition to freshly squeezed juice and ordinary juice, also a flash-pasteurized juice. The latter is often cooled in supermarkets as „Premium juice“ sold, so Aschoff. „We then compared the release of nutrients from these three juices with that from the fruit“, the food technologist continues. The researchers found that „the release of the carotenoids, which play a major role in the human body as provitamin A, from 11 percent in the fruit to over 28 percent in the fresh juice and up to 40 percent in the pasteurized juice“ rose. The carotenoids from the juice are thus potentially four times better bioavailable than from the fruit.

Orange juice altogether the better source of nutrients
„Taking the results from our publication, orange juice is the better source of carotenoids than the fruit itself“, reports Aschoff. The ingredients in the juice would be better released during pasteurization than when eating the whole fruit and could be better absorbed by the body and metabolized. The results of the current pilot projects would also be confirmed by a recently completed human study, Aschoff continued. According to the researchers, orange juice - as long as it is consumed in moderation - is healthy and recommended, regardless of whether it is fresh juice, juice or concentrated juice. „Since fruit and vegetable consumption in Germany is far below the recommendations of the German Nutrition Society, the consumption of orange juice can contribute to a healthy diet“, explains Professor Carle.

Better avoid orange nectar
However, according to the researchers, orange nectar is an exception. The experts of the University of Hohenheim strongly advise against this. Although the term nectar initially sounds good and suggests that this as „Potion of the gods“ a particularly high quality product. But „in fact, half of the nectar is mixed with water and then fortified with sugar to make it as sweet as a juice“, reports Professor Carle. In the end, the orange nectar contains as much sugar as an orange juice, but has only about half of the vitamins. In the interests of a healthy diet, the experts therefore recommend avoiding orange, apple and pineapple nectar. Nectars would only be justified if 100% juices were not edible as such because of the high acidity of the fruit, such as sour cherries and redcurrants, or because of their viscosity (for example, in bananas and apricots). (Fp)