If you’re considering using juice made from concentrated fruit juice in your brewery but aren’t sure where to buy it, this guide will help. We explain what “juice from concentrate” actually means, where to find a high-quality product, and how you can use it in your production processes.
What is Concentrated Juice?
Concentrated juice is produced by evaporating water from natural fruit juice until a thick, flavour-rich extract remains. This process significantly reduces the volume of the product, making transport and storage much easier. Importantly, essential components such as natural sugars, acids and fruit aromas are not removed. The result is a concentrate which, once reconstituted with water, yields a juice comparable in taste and quality to freshly pressed juice.
Concentrated juice is not an artificial product. It is simply natural juice that has undergone concentration to preserve it and make it easier to use within the food and beverage industry. This means it can be stored for longer periods without losing its sensory properties.
What Does It Mean When Juice Is Made from Concentrated Fruit Juice?
The term “juice from concentrate” on a label means that the product was made using fruit concentrate that has been reconstituted with water to match the fruit’s original water content. For consumers, this does not necessarily imply a lower-quality product – what truly matters is the quality of the concentrate itself, along with correct storage and dilution practices.
In beverages that rely on such juices, manufacturers often choose high-quality concentrates to ensure a consistent flavour and stable product. This approach allows them to maintain quality control while also reducing costs and minimising the environmental impact associated with transport. This is why concentrated juices are increasingly discussed as a potential future standard in brewing – not only for their cost efficiency, but also for their precision and recipe consistency.
What Are Fruit Concentrates Used For?
Fruit concentrates have a wide range of uses across the food and beverage sector. They are employed in the production of juices and soft drinks, as well as in jams, jellies and dairy desserts. In recent years, however, they have become particularly popular in brewing and distillation.
In breweries, concentrates make it possible to create fruit beers with a clean, stable flavour profile. Unlike fresh fruit, they do not cause technological issues such as sediment, contamination or uncontrolled fermentation. This allows brewers to dose flavour and colour precisely while reducing raw-material losses. For this reason, fruit concentrates for beer are increasingly discussed among brewers looking for batch-to-batch consistency and a predictable sensory profile.
Fruit concentrates serve a similar role in the spirits industry. Producers of flavoured vodkas value their stability, purity and their ability to retain an intense aroma even in high-strength alcohols. As a result, fruit concentrates for flavoured vodka enable the creation of clear, consistent products with a full, natural taste – without the need for artificial flavourings.
Where to Buy Fruit Concentrate for Alcohol Production?
The best place to purchase fruit concentrates for industrial or craft applications is from trusted suppliers specialising in raw materials for the brewing and spirits industry. They offer standardised products with clearly defined extract content, acidity and colour parameters, making it easy to select the right concentrate for a specific beer style or type of alcohol.
It is advisable to avoid random purchases from general food wholesalers, which cannot guarantee batch stability or flavour consistency. Professional suppliers also provide technological support – helping you choose a suitable concentrate for a particular application, e.g. one formulation for lagers, another for wheat beers, or a different profile for a flavoured vodka.
Anyone wishing to better understand the differences between available products may refer to comparisons of standard juices and concentrated juices. This makes it easier to select a solution that best fits the needs of a given production process.
There is a reason why fruit concentrates are now among the most widely used raw materials in the modern beverage industry. They simplify standardisation, reduce transport costs and make it possible to achieve a consistent, natural final result – whether in beer, vodka or liqueurs.