Among other juices, pomegranate is faked most often. Therefore, it is important for those who buy this product to know how to check the naturalness of pomegranate juice at home. We will teach you to determine what is splashing in a bottle - a fake made from water, sugar and paint, or the "blood" of real pomegranate fruits.
How to determine the naturalness of juice in the laboratory?
The juice of any fruit and berries, including pomegranates, is an intracellular fluid. For the most part, it consists of water in which other components are dissolved or in suspension:
- acids
- vitamins
- pigments
- Sahara.
The amount of these components can be different and depends on the type of pomegranates, the conditions of their cultivation, even the extraction technology. But despite such variability, it’s impossible for a person to completely repeat the chemical composition of pomegranate juice - by creating a fake, dishonest producers imitate only the color and taste of the product. This is used by laboratory staff - they analyze the composition and compare the result with a list of substances that should be present in natural juice.
Also, the laboratory can easily determine the difference between freshly squeezed and pomegranate juice recovered from the concentrate. The fact is that the water that makes up the intracellular fluid and ordinary drinking water have a different isotopic composition. Even from school, everyone remembers that a water molecule consists of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, and its formula is written as H2O. So, oxygen - O - is present in water in the form of two stable isotopes - 18O and 16O, and in the composition of intracellular water of "heavy" oxygen 18O, much more than in drinking. This feature is used in the laboratory.
If the manufacturer claims that the juice is freshly squeezed, but an increased amount is found in it 16O, this indicates a fake - such a product is clearly made from concentrate diluted with drinking water.
How to check pomegranate juice at home?
None of the above checks at home can be repeated. But you can check the pomegranate juice with soda:
- Pour half a glass of juice.
- Pour in a teaspoon of baking soda.
- Shuffle and wait a few seconds.
A natural product will change color from red to dirty blue, while an artificial product will retain its former color.
True, this experiment cannot boast of 100% accuracy, because it is based on the reaction of anthocyanins (plant pigments) in an alkaline environment. Anthocyanins are found in many red, lilac and blue fruits - for example, blue cabbage, elderberry and blueberry. However, they have long learned to isolate and use to create dyes, including food. If the manufacturer “painted” the fake not with a synthetic dye, but with a natural one based on anthocyanins, a drink mixed with soda will also change color.
Is a concentrate something synthetic?
No, this is a natural pomegranate juice from which water was removed. This is done to reduce weight and volume (this makes transportation cheaper and easier) and increase the shelf life (the concentrate is not so demanding on temperature and other conditions). A product recovered from the concentrate will be considered a fake only if they try to pass it off as freshly squeezed.
Is real pomegranate juice poured only in glass bottles?
Like other juices, pomegranate can be sold in glass or plastic containers, as well as in Tetra Pak packaging. The latter option is preferable because it allows you to save more nutrients. And the glass bottle has only one advantage - the buyer can visually assess the quality of the contents, focusing on its color and consistency.
Do not be fooled - buy pomegranate juice only in large stores and from trusted manufacturers.