Juice

Juice is a beverage produced by squeezing or pressing the natural liquid from fruits and vegetables. It can also describe liquids flavored with concentrate or derived from other biological sources, such as meat or seafood (for example, clam juice). People commonly drink juice as a beverage or use it as an ingredient or flavoring in foods and other drinks, like smoothies. Juice became widely popular after pasteurization methods were developed, allowing it to be preserved without relying on fermentation (the process used to make wine). The highest per capita consumers of fruit juice are New Zealand, where people drink nearly a cup (8 ounces) daily, and Colombia, where consumption exceeds three-quarters of a cup each day. On average, fruit juice consumption rises with a country's income level.

The word "juice" emerged around 1300 from Old French terms meaning "liquid obtained by boiling herbs." These came from Latin *ius* ("broth, sauce, juice, soup"), which traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root *yeue-* ("to blend, mix food"). The specific meaning "the watery part of fruits or vegetables" first appeared in the early 14th century. Since the 19th century, "juice" has also been used figuratively, for example, to mean alcohol or electricity. Today, "au jus" refers to meat served with its own juices, often as a gravy.

Evidence of grape pits dating to 8000 BCE suggests early juice production, though the grapes may have been used for wine instead. One of the first regularly produced juices was lemonade, which appeared in 16th-century Italy after originating in the Middle East. Orange juice emerged in the 17th century. In the 18th century, James Lind linked citrus fruits to preventing scurvy, leading a century later to the Merchant Shipping Act 1867, which required British ships to carry citrus juice. In 1869, dentist Thomas B. Welch developed a pasteurization method that prevented juice from fermenting into alcohol. He filtered squeezed grape juice into bottles, sealed them with cork and wax, and boiled them to kill yeast. He sold the product as "Dr. Welch's Unfermented Wine." In the late 18th-century United States, tariffs heavily regulated foreign fruit juices. The McKinley Tariff Act of 1890 raised import taxes from 38 to 49.5 percent and taxed fruit juices based on alcohol content: juices with 18% or less alcohol were taxed at 60 cents per gallon, while those above 18% were taxed at $2.50 per proof gallon.

In the United Kingdom, the term "juice" followed by a fruit name legally applies only to 100% fruit juice, as per the Fruit Juices and Fruit Nectars Regulations. Juice made from reconstituted concentrate can still be called juice. A product labeled "nectar" must contain 25% to 50% juice, depending on the fruit. Juice or nectar made from concentrate must state this. The term "juice drink" is not defined in the regulations and can describe any drink containing any amount of juice. Similar rules apply across EU member states. In the US, "fruit juice" legally means 100% fruit juice. A blend of juice with other ingredients, like high-fructose corn syrup, is called a juice cocktail or juice drink. The FDA accepts "nectar" for diluted juice containing fruit juice or puree, water, and artificial sweeteners. "No added sugar" labels may still appear on juices with naturally high sugar content, though sugar is listed with other carbohydrates on labels in many countries.

In 2007, a report noted that fruit juice consumption had increased in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the US. In 2015, Americans consumed about 6.6 US gallons of juice per capita, with over half of preschool-age children being regular drinkers.

Juice is prepared by mechanically squeezing or macerating (sometimes called cold pressing) fruit or vegetable flesh without heat or solvents. Orange juice is the liquid extract of the orange tree's fruit; tomato juice comes from pressing tomato plants. People can make juice at home using hand or electric juicers. Many commercial juices are filtered to remove fiber or pulp, though high-pulp orange juice remains popular. Additives like sugar, artificial flavors, or savory seasonings (e.g., in Clamato or Caesar tomato juice drinks) are sometimes included. Common preservation and processing methods include canning, pasteurization, concentrating, freezing, evaporation, and spray drying.