At the invitation of the “Paladar”, the jury evaluated 11 100% juice options; check the ranking
Convenience comes at a high price when it comes to orange juice. Choosing a ready-made version from the market, instead of making fresh juice on the spot, can literally make your experience worse. More than other fruits, oranges are affected by the passage of time and, apparently, even the industry struggles to prevent the oxidation and fermentation of the product. That’s why it’s so difficult to find industrialized orange juice that isn’t bitter and doesn’t have that unwanted smell of overripe fruit.
To help consumers who don’t have the time or inclination to juice a half-dozen oranges every time they feel like drinking juice, Paladar set up a test with the 100% orange juice options on the market. With this limitation, soft drinks (containing, by volume, at least 30% natural juice) and nectars (with 50% natural juice), as well as versions with added sugar, preservatives and other artificial ingredients, have been excluded from the evaluation. .
Alternatives sweetened with apple juice were also excluded. In the selection, therefore, only the whole options were included (without the addition of water or anything else), concentrated (when the juice is partially dehydrated) and reconstituted (when water is added to the concentrated version), with at most acidifying citric acid. . , vitamin C and natural flavor added to the streamlined ingredient list.
At the invitation of Paladar, the jury, composed of Mario Panezo, chef of the Feriae restaurant, Nicholas Fullon, partner of the Locale Café, Rachel Louise, bartender of Tuju, Ricardo Takahashi, bartender of the Beef Bar, and Ygor Lopes, chef of the AE Café , blindly evaluated 11 samples. In the tasting, the visual aspect, aroma and flavor were at stake.
Find out which brands performed best in the tasting below, as well as details on what the judges thought of each of the samples.
What are the best orange juice brands on the market?
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Bela Vista Farm
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WHAT
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Pratis
The 11 brands evaluated in alphabetical order
Large field
The pronounced bitterness was largely responsible for the sample’s exclusion from the test. Furthermore, the juice “escaped errors,” as one juror pointed out. It had an orange color, similar to that of a natural juice, smooth consistency and pleasant aroma (R$ 11.99; 900 ml).
Del Valle 100%
If it were not for the artificial aroma and slight bitterness that appeared at the end of the tasting, the sample could have reached a higher place in the rating. In addition to its beautiful, smooth and bright appearance, the juice had just enough acidity and sweetness (R$11.75, 1l).
Do good
Despite the good visual appearance, in the mouth the juice of the brand did not pass the critical palate of the judges. They complained about the drink’s thick body, slightly cooked fruit aroma, as well as intense acidity and bitterness, which ruined the experience (R$11.98, 1l).
Bela Vista Farm
“Of everything we tried, this is the one that most closely resembles natural, home-squeezed orange juice,” one judge said. It is no coincidence that the sample took first place on the tasting podium and, with this, won the coveted Paladar seal. This is due to its beautiful appearance, pleasant aroma, the right amount of acidity and sweetness and almost non-existent bitterness, which does not affect the flavor (R$ 12.49; 900 ml).
Cold orange
Not being pasteurized and without preservatives, the brand’s orange juice is distributed frozen and a complete defrosting guide is available to preserve its characteristics. During the test the excess sediment, which did not disappear after shaking the bottle, made a bad impression on the judges. “It looks like a curdled liquid.” It is worth mentioning that the sample in question was purchased on the market already thawed, but within the established period of five days for consumption (R$ 21.69; 1l).
The natural one
Dense, acidic, bitter, artificial. There was no doubt that they would save this sample’s performance in the tasting. “It doesn’t even look orange,” one judge complained (R$12.99; 900 ml).
WHAT
The balance between acidity, sweetness and bitterness guaranteed the sample, which also has a good appearance and consistency in the mouth, second place on the tasting podium. “It reminds me of homemade orange juice,” one juror said. “I would buy peace of mind for my consumption,” confessed another (R$ 13.99; 1l).
Pratis
The rubbery consistency won the hearts of the judges, it’s true, but the champion also performed well in other aspects and, for this reason, he placed in last place on the podium. In addition to the color, which corresponds to that of a natural juice, the drink has a pleasant flavor with the right amount of acidity and sweetness. It lost a few points due to the light aroma of lightly cooked fruit (R$12.98; 900 ml).
Total 100%
The juice of the brand narrowly missed the place on the podium and the high acidity, which dominated the flavor, and the slightly milky aroma noted by the judges (R$ 9.19; 1l) were mainly to blame.
Tropisuco
“Shake before drinking,” the label advises. And so the collapse occurred. As soon as the lid was opened, the apparently fermented juice made that “tssss” characteristic of carbonated drinks and overflowed. The sample (which was within its expiration date and was stored in the refrigerator after purchase) is suspected to have suffered from shelf-life issues on the market, affecting its valuation (R$13.99; 900 ml).
Xando
The smooth flavor, with controlled acidity and just the right amount of sweetness, was almost enough to put the brand’s entire juice on the podium. The problem is that the slightly bitter aftertaste and light aroma of ripe fruit did not go unnoticed by the judges (R$ 10.98, 900 ml).
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
