“I love your products… I just wish they were cheaper!” Emails like this regularly land in our inbox. This is only to be expected as juices, almond drinks and coconut water arrive on the shelves of many retail giants. However, not all juices are the same! Connoisseurs of the drinks industry know fine well that there are huge disparities in the quality of fresh drinks. This may seem rather difficult to recognize at first glance and anyway, who actually has the time to look closely at every product? Yet, when you know the features you can rely on, it’s easy. We will help you by providing 4 tips on how to recognize truly natural drinks!
The Durability Issue: The Longer The Better?
1. Heat pasteurization versus high pressure treatment
If drinks are pasteurized, this means that they have been exposed to high temperatures. This kills microorganisms and increases the shelf life of a product. Unfortunately, killing microorganisms is not the only effect this has; it also changes the taste and causes valuable vitamins to be lost. We think this is a real shame! After all, when you drink juice, you want to treat your body to a welcome vitamin kick.
To extend the shelf life of our fresh juices, shots and plant waters, we use the innovative high pressure processing (HPP) method. This involves placing the filled drinks bottles in a water bath and subjecting them to simultaneous high pressure from all sides. This way, the microorganisms can be rendered harmless — but the incredibly delicious, fresh taste and nutrients are retained! By the way, this is also the reason we use recyclable PET bottles; glass bottles would not withstand the pressure.
A head’s up: there is no legal requirement to indicate the method for conservation on the bottle.
What should I look out for?
Tip 1: The expiration date. If a juice has a shelf life of more than five weeks, it is most likely pasteurized. If so, you run the risk of drinking a vitamin-less sugar bomb! A short shelf life is a distinguishing feature of quality: it stands for taste and vitamins.
2. The corrosive aftertaste of acidity
If a product contains a lot of acid, it prolongs its shelf life. This trick is exploited because “Zitronensäure” is added to many drinks. Very few people seem to know that this is not actually fresh lemon juice. The acid is concealed behind many names, such as “citric acid” or “E 330”. In fact, this is usually a chemically produced white, odorless powder. It is easily soluble in water and can therefore be conveniently hidden in drinks. In moderate quantities, the acid is not harmful and is used as a practical preservative. Nevertheless, we certainly don’t want to add any white powder to our natural products, especially not powder which has to be handled with protective gloves!
What should I look out for?
Tip 2: The list of ingredients. Does the label have “Zitronensäure”, “citric acid”, “acidium citricum” or “E 330” on it? If so, there is acid from dissolved white powder in the bottle!
Pure Nature – A Matter Of Taste?
3. “Natural” flavors have little to do with nature
You will often see “no artificial flavors” advertised on packaging. However, added “natural” flavors still contain many products. The extent to which these have earned their name is questionable: if a flavor comes from a natural raw material, it can be described as “natural”, even if the flavor does not come from the food it tastes like! An example: In order to produce vanilla flavors, residues are used that arise during the processing of rice. This rice bran contains ferulic acid, which can be converted into vanillin with the help of microorganisms. Here we have the “natural” vanilla flavor! Some flavors are also produced “naturally” by mould cultures e.g. nut and coconut flavors. Flavoring agents produced in the laboratory can thus legally be referred to as “natural flavors”. However, we have a totally different understanding of what is meant by “pure nature”!
What should I look out for?
Tip 3: The list of ingredients. If “natural” flavors have been added, then flavoring agents produced in the laboratory may be hidden in the drink, which have little to do with nature.
4. Concentrate versus 100% fresh juice
In addition to flavors, concentrates are also often used i.e. in coconut water. They are used to simplify logistics: after the fruit has been pressed, the water is removed from it and the concentrate is extracted. In the final production phase, the concentrates are mixed with water again and put into bottles. The taste of juice containing concentrates will never be able to compete with the crispness and intensity of a fresh product. Not to mention the vitamin content! That’s why we only use freshly pressed juice containing 100% fruit and vegetables. In other words, 100% taste and vitamins!
What should I look out for?
Tip 4: The list of ingredients. Are concentrates included? If so, there are no freshly pressed fruit and vegetables in the bottle, but rather a mixture of concentrate and water. Bid farewell to fresh taste and vitamins!
These are just some of the various reasons why not all juices are the same. Criteria such as organic quality, local production and the complexity of the ingredients also influence the quality of drinks — and unfortunately the price tag too.
At HEYLIFE, we are convinced that a healthy body lays the foundation for a happy mind. That is why we ardently adhere to our principle: 100% Pure Nature.
We strive for transparency, sustainability and trust. All our drinks are fresh, 100% natural and plant-based. No “natural” flavors, no concentrates, no refined sugar, no preservatives! Pure nature. Because it’s not only healthier, but also tastier and more refreshing!
It is our aim to make sure you can always have a clear conscience when you go to the refrigerated shelf to reach for a drink with our label on it, because you can know for certain that nature flows out of our bottles. Life is just too short to study lists of ingredients
