Prune juice

Composition

Prune juice is 81% water, 17% carbohydrates, and 0.6% protein, and contains negligible fat.

In the United States, bottled or canned prune juice contains "not less than 18.5% by the weight of water-soluble solids extracted from dried plums".

Nutrition

In a reference amount of 100 g, canned prune juice supplies 71 calories, and is a moderate source of vitamin B6 (13% of the Daily Value), with no other micronutrients in significant content (table).

Phytochemicals

Prune juice and plums contain phytochemicals, including phenolic compounds (mainly as neochlorogenic acids and chlorogenic acids) and sorbitol.

Production

Prune juice is often produced using hot extraction methods, whereby the prunes are cooked in hot water, becoming a liquid extract, which is then processed into juice. The process of heating and extraction may occur several times with the same batch of prunes, with the collective extracts from each processing then mixed together to create the final product. Prune juice is a mass-produced product.

Prune juice is also produced as a concentrate, whereby low temperature water is used to create a liquid extract. The concentrate has a high sugar content, and is used by food processors to enhance the flavor of and sweeten products, as a humectant to retain moisture in cookies and cakes, and as an ingredient in cereal bars to bind the ingredients.

History

United States

Duffy-Mott began producing prune juice in 1933, which was purveyed under the Sunsweet brand name.

The commercial distribution of prune juice in the United States first occurred in 1934, which "began with an output of only 40,000 cases".

Other uses

Prune juice concentrate, prune extracts and plum extracts are sometimes used as an additive in tobacco products to enhance flavor.

In popular culture

In the Star Trek : The Next Generation episode "Yesterday's Enterprise", the Klingon character Worf is introduced to prune juice by Guinan. He declares that it is a "warrior's drink" and begins to drink it regularly in subsequent episodes, even carrying the habit over to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

In the series Suits, the character Louis Litt (played by Rick Hoffman) drinks prunies, which are prune juice smoothies.

Gallery

File:French Prune Juice - For giving age to and improving liquors LCCN2001701477.tif|A prune juice label from 1870: "French Prune Juice – For giving age to and improving liquors"

References

References

1. "Prune Juice - Purple Dragon Cocktail Recipe".
2. "Constipolitan Drink Recipe - Cocktail".
3. (2001). "Chemical composition and potential health effects of prunes: a functional food?". Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition.
4. Woodroof, J.. (2012). "Commercial Fruit Processing". Springer Netherlands.
5. (1954). "The chemistry and technology of fruit and vegetable juice production". Avi Pub. Co..
6. (1966). "Canning Trade". Canning Trade, inc..
7. (2012). "Sweeteners: Nutritional Aspects, Applications, and Production Technology". CRC Press.
8. Ethan Phillips, William J. Birnes. (2012). "Star Trek Cookbook". Simon and Schuster.
9. James Van Hise. (1992). "Trek: The Next Generation".
10. [https://www.dkfz.de/de/tabakkontrolle/download/PITOC/PITOC_Tobacco_Additives_Prune_Juice_Concentrate.pdf "Additives in tobacco products: Prune Juice Concentrate"]. 2012. [[German Cancer Research Center]].