One of the newest juicing trends to have entered the market in the recent years is that of cold pressed and cold extracted beverages. This is a unique process through which the goodness of fresh produce, be it fruits, vegetables, nuts or nectars is extracted in such a way that the produce does not lose any of its vital nutrients. Such processes attempt to extract all the necessary nutrients present in the produce such as natural sugars, fibre, good fats, and vitamins without compromising its total value and without adding any artificial preservatives to add flavour to the beverage. The idea is to provide the consumer with the produce in its most natural form.
In this article we attempt to understand how the process of cold pressing and extraction is different and take a look at High Pressure Processing or HPP and its benefits.
Cold pressed juices v/s cold extracted juices – how it is made and which is better?
How are cold pressed juices made?
The process of making cold-pressed juices differs from the standard way in which packaged fruit juices are manufactured on a large scale. These juices are made with the help of machinery known as hydraulic press. The hydraulic press uses pounds of pressure so as to extract as much liquid as is possible from fresh fruits and vegetables. To ensure most of the nutrients are preserved (which is uncommon in traditional pasteurization) cold-pressed juice manufacturers ensure that no additional oxygen is used in this process.
How are cold extracted juices made?
Cold-extracted juices are made with the aid of a process known as cold vacuum extraction and are created without using heat, pasteurization or additional concentrates in the produce. Through the cold extraction process, the pulp of the produce is gently extracted, keeping all the natural soluble fibres present in the produce, intact. Furthermore, these juices are prepared in an environment with reduced oxygen in order to reduce or minimize oxidation and create a vacuum. The vacuum in turn removes the dissolved oxygen and retains the natural taste, flavour and nutrients of the produce.
Cold pressed juices, cannot extract all the fibre, due to which a lot of nutrients are lost. This makes cold-extraction the most complicated extraction technique which also offer better nutrient value as opposed to cold-pressed juices.
What is HPP and what are its benefits
Both cold-pressed and cold extracted juices use High Pressure Processing or HPP technology to ensure that the final product can get a better shelf-life. This process allows manufacturers to protect and preserve the natural colours, flavours and nutrients of the produce. The HPP technology applies pressure on the produce, which is five times more than what can be found at the ocean’s deepest ends. The pressure plays an integral role in disrupting the microbial bio-chemistry of bacteria, which in turn lengthens the shelf-life of the final product. Due to HPP, the bottled juice, which would typically have a shelf life of only 3-4 days, can now get a decent shelf life of 30-45 days.
It is important here to note that HPP is a natural process which is also environment-friendly and respects each ingredient used in the process of extraction.