How to Select the Right Cherry Juice Concentrate For You

Tart cherry juice concentrate is fast becoming the natural choice for legions of arthritis and gout pain suffers. So with all of the sources and varieties of tart cherry juice available, what should consumers look for to make a wise buying decision?
What to look for when selecting a tart cherry juice product:
There are five critical areas consumers should look for when making a tart cherry juice concentrate purchase: type of cherry, quality, taste, packaging and a sediment-free guarantee.
Type of Cherry: The majority of research you read about the joint pain fighting ability of tart cherries and cherry juice has been conducted on the Montmorency tart cherry. While several other varieties of cherries exist including black cherry, Balaton and Rainer, the type of cherry that has most amount of published research is the Montmorency tart cherry. Although the Montmorency tart cherry juice is slightly more expensive than black cherry juice, the research backs up the ability of the tart cherry to fight joint pain due to arthritis and gout.
Quality: Not all cherry juice concentrate products are the same. One very important measurement of quality for tart cherry juice concentrate is this brix level (pronounced bricks). This is a measurement of the amount of natural sugar in the product. The highest marker for tart cherry juice is 68 brix. Be sure to know the brix level in any cherry product you buy. This information is usually printed on the label or published on the website. If the brix level is lower than 68 brix, you should reconsider the overall quality of the product.
Taste: Like all consumable products, taste is very important. Cherry juice is available in plastic bottles, aluminum cans and glass bottles. Based on research funded by the cherry industry, participants in the study preferred the taste of cherry juice packaged in glass bottles over plastic and aluminum bottles. Based upon results of the study, people indicated the cherry juice packed in glass bottles offered a fresher taste. One of the reasons could be the fact that glass bottles prevent leaching. Leaching is a result of products being packed on plastic and the product itself actually absorbs plastic molecules from the plastic bottle. Leaching is not a concern for cherry juice packed on glass.
Packaging: Two types of cherry juice packaging for cherry juice products are available: cold-packed and hot packed. Here is a basic definition of each:
Cold-packed - The cherry juice concentrate is pumped from a 52 gallon drum and bottled into individual bottles. Also, the companies selling cold-packed cherry juice indicate cold-packed cherry juice must be refrigerated. That is they the majority of tart cherry juice concentrate products are only available in the refrigerated section of your local grocery stores. Cold-packing is also the less expensive way to bottle cherry juice concentrate since some companies simply fill their bottles over a utility sink.
Hot-packed - The cherry juice is pumped from a 52 gallon drum, flash pasteurized, and then packed into individual bottles. Hot-packed cherry juice concentrate is shelf-stable and doesn't need refrigeration during shipping, storage or until the product is open. After the 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 process is very similar to the canning process where all of the oxygen is removed from the bottle.
Unfortunately, some companies lead the consumer to belief that cold-packed cherry juice is never heated (pasteurized). This is simply not true. Cherry juice concentrate is packed in 52 gallon drums and prior to the cherry juice being packed in these drums the product is flash pasteurized. So if a company simply pumps the cherry juice from 52 gallon drums and fills individual the cherry juice has been heated. If a company indicates that their product is cold-packed and has not been heated, they may not be telling the whole truth.
Stability: Product stability is vital not only for shipping purposes but also storage. The majority of companies selling cherry juice are selling cold-packed in plastic bottles. This means the product should be refrigerated during shipping and storage. Yet many of these companies freely ship cold-packed cherry juice across the country in unrefrigerated cardboard boxes with statements saying the product must be refrigerated when the product is received. This simply doesn't make since. It would be similar to shipping a gallon of milk from New Jersey to Texas in a cardboard box and asking the customer to place it in the refrigerator when it arrives. Hot-packed cherry juice can be shipped without refrigeration and stored without refrigeration.
Sediment-Free Guarantee: Sedimentation is a concern for many cherry juice drinks. Sedimentation occurs when the concentrate breaks apart and thick residue settles on the bottle of the bottle. Sedimentation may be a result of poor quality concentrate or a poor bottling process. Look for cherry juice products that offer a sediment free guarantee.
Russ Anderson is an avid writer on the natural health benefits of everyday food.
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