Smoothies 101

Ready to learn what your smoothie label is telling you?

Here are some common terms you may come across when reading labels on smoothie beverages.

Smoothie

A smoothie, or fruit smoothie, is a blend of crushed and freshly squeezed fruit. It should be 100% pure fruit with no added sugar or water and, most importantly, it should be made with juices that are not from concentrate.

A smoothie is thicker and pulpier than regular juice as it contains the whole crushed fruit which also means that it’s higher in nutrients than the simple juice. Watch for “smoothies” that contain undesirable ingredients, like concentrated juice, added sugar and water. If it isn’t pure fruit, it isn’t a real smoothie!

Concentrates

Concentrates are made by taking a fruit juice, heating it to a high temperature and evaporating off the water. This leaves a thick syrup that is only a fraction of the original juice volume. Concentrates are packed in drums and shipped across the world and stored for long periods of time. At the bottling stage, water is added back in to bring the juice up to its original strength – but not its original quality or nutritional values. Arthur’s does not use juice from concentrate, only pure fruit.

Not from Concentrate

If a product is not from concentrate, then it has been made with juice that hasn’t been concentrated. All of Arthur's^® Smoothies are not from concentrate.

Pure/100% Fruit

If a product states that it is pure juice or 100% fruit, then it should contain no additives. However, the product could have been made from a fruit concentrate with water added back in. Always check the label to make sure what you are getting is pure, 100% juice and not concentrate with added water.

Pasteurization

Pasteurization is the process used to eliminate the naturally occurring micro-organisms that can spoil fresh juice. There are two types of pasteurization: Flash and Ultra High Temperature

Flash

When gentle flash pasteurization is used, it does not significantly alter the nature of the product, the taste or its nutritional value. When Flash Pasteurization is at higher temperatures, it can strip the smoothie or juice of flavour and nutrients.

Arthur’s Smoothies only use gentle Flash Pasteurization. Our process protects the natural flavour and essential nutrients of the fruit – Arthur’s delivers 8-11 essential nutrients per 250 mL serving, the most of any smoothie or juice brand.

Arthur's Smoothies are Flash Pasteurized

Ultra High Temperature

Ultra High Temperature pasteurization is the process used with almost all milk and juices sold in stores today. Unlike Flash pasteurization, this process does affect the product’s taste and nutritional values in a negative way. It is used to allow products to maintain a long shelf life – sometimes for months or years!

Pressed/Juiced/Crushed/Squeezed

These terms tend to be interchangeable and can be somewhat confusing. To keep it simple, we divide fruit into three areas to reflect how their juice is obtained:

Pressed or juiced: For hard Fruits and Vegetables like carrots or apples.

Crushed: For soft Fruits like berries or mangoes.

Squeezed: For citrus fruit.