Pineapple juice once lurked in tin cans in the back of the kitchen cupboard, waiting for a holiday recipe. It is now a likely contender as a breakfast beverage and refreshing choice any time of the day. Modern transportation and crop management methods bring fully ripened pineapples and freshly squeezed juice to the U. S. overnight, with little loss of nutrition or flavor. Try today's pineapple juice for a nutritional boost.
Types
Producers often grow pineapples on large plantations and extract the juice locally, before shipping. The majority of pineapples sold in U.S. markets are from Hawaii; its closeness gives U.S. producers a competitive edge over South American producers. Hawaiian pineapples belong to the Smooth Cayenne group. These pineapples have a familiar cone shape and weigh up to 5 lbs. The most popular Caribbean pineapple variety is Red Spanish, similar to Hawaii's pineapple, but slightly square. Sugar Loaf is a large Mexican pineapple that can weigh up to 10 lbs.
Features
Processed pineapple juice in cans and bottles is easier to ship than fresh pineapples. Canning or freezing pineapple juice increases the shelf life of this highly perishable product. Although pineapples already have some ascorbic acid, producers often add more to unsweetened pineapple juice. This increases its vitamin C content and preserves the juice's nutrition.
Nutrition
One cup of unsweetened pineapple juice provides 132 calories that contain 32.17 g of carbohydrates, of which 25.9 g is sugar. This serving also has 0.90 g of protein and 0.5 g of fiber. Natural pineapple juice has 25 mg of vitamin C per 8-oz. serving, or 42 percent of the daily value for a 2,000-calorie diet. Pineapple juice with ascorbic acid has 109 mg of vitamin C, 182 percent of the daily value. It also has 325 mg of potassium, 9 percent of the daily value. It provides 1.2 mg of manganese, 60 percent of the daily value. At 5 mg per 8-oz. serving, pineapple juice's sodium content is low.
Enzymes
Pineapple's natural enzyme, bromelain, makes it useful as a meat tenderizer. The bromelain digests proteins, so it softens the connective tissue in cheaper cuts of meat. The enzymes in pineapple juice are also effective for reducing muscle and tissue inflammation, according to Whole Health MD. Fresh pineapple juice has three times the amount of bromelain as canned pineapple. You cannot use fresh pineapples or juice in gelatin because the bromelain digests the protein in gelatin and keeps it from setting.
Considerations
Nutritional labels must indicate whether the processed pineapple juice is 100 percent pineapple or contains a significant amount of other juices. Organic pineapple juice is becoming increasingly popular in the United States. However, Consumer Reports states that because consumers don't eat the skin of pineapples, paying more for organic juice may not make sense.
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