How Do They Make Prune Juice?

[Jim_B]

I’ve always wondered. Then, some years back, I assumed that they simply slice open the prunes and boil them in water, thus diluting the inside mushy stuff with water. But then I took a closer look at the label of prune juice and read, I’m not making this up: “NO WATER ADDED”(!).

So how exactly do they make prune juice? Does anyone know?

[Stan_Doubt]

Seeing as how prunes are dry and the prune juice is wet, I’d have to say that there obviously is water added.

The labeling is, therefore, some kind of Lawyer Speak, a slightly more marketable term for “stewed prune water”.

[percypercy]

Here’s a site with recipes for all sorts of juices, prune included. It’s at the bottom. No water added must mean extra water.
-Lil

[percypercy]

Um, here’s the site.
http://www.foodsubs.com/Juice.html

[Nametag]

More to the point, here is how “they” make it: http://www.stapleton-spence.com/CustomerService/pjmfgr.htm

[StarvingButStrong]

Does this seem the equivalent of making three right turns to go left to anyone else?
I mean, how do you make prunes? You take plums and dry them out.

How do you make prune juice? You take plums and add water.

Ummm. Wouldn’t it be more sensible to take the plums and, er, juice them directly, the way you do with apples or other fruits?

Speaking of, why don’t they sell plum juice?

[Cub_Mistress]

Plum juice and prune juice don’t taste the same. My WAG is that the drying process changes the sugars in the artists-formerly-known-as-plums. As for the no-water-added thing, I think there is a standard recipe for making prune juice and no water added means “no water above that called for in the recipe.”

Incidentally, I’ve seen prunes labeled as “dried plums” lately. Must be a new government ruling.

[Joe_Mahma]

@Cub Mistress

Plum juice and prune juice don’t taste the same. My WAG is that the drying process changes the sugars in the artists-formerly-known-as-plums. As for the no-water-added thing, I think there is a standard recipe for making prune juice and no water added means “no water above that called for in the recipe.”

Incidentally, I’ve seen prunes labeled as “dried plums” lately. Must be a new government ruling.

I read that it was a ploy to get more people to eat prunes. The prune industry has determined that the word prune carries a negative connotation (i.e., old people eat them). Dried plums have no negative connotation. Sorry, no cite.

[Joe_Mahma]

@Cub Mistress

Plum juice and prune juice don’t taste the same. My WAG is that the drying process changes the sugars in the artists-formerly-known-as-plums. As for the no-water-added thing, I think there is a standard recipe for making prune juice and no water added means “no water above that called for in the recipe.”

Incidentally, I’ve seen prunes labeled as “dried plums” lately. Must be a new government ruling.

I read that it was a ploy to get more people to eat prunes. The prune industry has determined that the word prune carries a negative connotation (i.e., old people eat them). Dried plums have no negative connotation. So it’s a marketing thing. Sorry, no cite.

[Colophon]

@Joe Mahma

Dried plums have no negative connotation.

Yeah, tell that to my Uncle Alby… he once sat on a sachet of silica gel.

[istara]

Plum juice is available but hard to get - the few times I’ve seen it is usually as some East Asian branded drink, eg Korean.

It’s like cherry juice - that seems to be appearing a bit more now, but generally when I find a carton it come from Hungary or Eastern Europe or somewhere.

Here (as well as fresh apricot) they also drink dried apricot juice, presumably made in a similar way to prune juice. It tastes much as you’d expect, like dried apricots. Pleasant, but without the wonderful tang of fresh apricot juice (maybe that’s from the Vitamin C before it breaks down, or added Vit C for preservative?) This dried apricot juice is a traditional drink at iftar (the breaking of fast at sunset during the month of Ramadan). They also have a tamarind juice, which may be made from dried tamarinds as well.

[Shalmanese]

@Jim B.

I’ve always wondered. Then, some years back, I assumed that they simply slice open the prunes and boil them in water, thus diluting the inside mushy stuff with water. But then I took a closer look at the label of prune juice and read, I’m not making this up: “NO WATER ADDED”(!).

So how exactly do they make prune juice? Does anyone know?

My guess is that it’s some USDA restriction that the end water weight of the prune juice must be equal to or less than the initial water weight of the prunes.

[KP]

If you want a good laugh, think about prune juice concentrate.

First, you dry a plum, then you add water, then you dry it again.

I say they should just make plum juice, dry it and let it age.

This is verging on the cruelty of Ketchup (rip a tomato from the vine, mash it, boil it in acid, puree it…)

[SpoilerVirgin]

@Cub Mistress

Incidentally, I’ve seen prunes labeled as “dried plums” lately. Must be a new government ruling.

@Joe Mahma

I read that it was a ploy to get more people to eat prunes. The prune industry has determined that the word prune carries a negative connotation (i.e., old people eat them). Dried plums have no negative connotation. Sorry, no cite.

You’re both right (and I’ve got the cite)

Plum growers have won permission from the government to start calling prunes “dried plums,” and packages with the new name are now showing up in stores.

Prune juice will still be prune juice, however. Dried fruit juice would be a contradiction in terms, the industry was told by the Food and Drug Administration.

By definition, prunes are indeed dried plums, but many consumers apparently don’t think of them that way.

“Unfortunately, the stereotype among the women that we’re targeting is of a medicinal food for their parents, rather than a healthful, nutritious food for women who are leading an active lifestyle. That’s what we’re trying to get around,” said Richard Peterson, executive director of the California Dried Plum Board, formerly the California Prune Board.

Industry research shows that women between the ages of 35 to 50 overwhelmingly preferred the term “dried plum.”

[Dr.Lao]

@Shalmanese

My guess is that it’s some USDA restriction that the end water weight of the prune juice must be equal to or less than the initial water weight of the prunes.

The FDA in this case. And, you’re right, there is a specification in the regulation: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfCFR/CFRSearch.cfm?FR=146.187

Canned prune juice is the food prepared from a water extract of
dried prunes and contains not less than 18.5 percent by weight of water-
soluble solids extracted from dried prunes.

But there is no specific provision for the words “water added” or “no water added.” If the prune juice contains less that 18.5 percent by weight of water-soluble solids extracted from dried prunes, then it simply ceases to be prune juice. The use of the label declaration “no water added” is somewhat questionable. Almost like they are trying to say they have more prunes in their prune juice than other brands, when actually they all must conform to the regulation.