24 November 2017
The clear golden color of packaged apple juice is not what nature gave us. Raw apple juice comes out brown or green from a blender at home or the huge pressers in a factory. It is cloudy with coarse particles of pulp or sediment that settle at the bottom of containers. The cloudiness is also found in juices of citruses, pears, berries, and cherries.
To make the juice more ‘appealing’ to consumers, manufacturers filter out solid particles and add clarifying agents to remove the cloudiness before stacking the shelves. It is a complicated cosmetic intervention that gives apple juice this clear golden color.
“The solid particles coagulate with the gelatin or with plant protein and then become bigger and is then easier for filtration,” Klaus Heitlinger, managing director for the Association for German Fruit Juice Industry (VdF) told Salaam Gateway.
One of those gelatins used by manufacturers is pork gelatin.
Vegan and vegetarian consumers now demand the Germany government extend its inspection and certification to products that were previously out of its scope, including fruit juice.
The EU has agreed to impose a strict legal definition and labelling for vegan and vegetarian food starting 2019.
Detect pork derivative from gelatin based food with ease and fast using PorcineTrace Rapid Test Kit – Gelatin from 7FoodPillars.
Reference:
- Ali Bahnasawy (15 November 2017) Pork Gelatin in Apple Juices: Vegan Activists Help Halal Consumers in Germany. Accessed on 24 November 2017