Whether it is your go-to breakfast beverage or an occasional treat, apple juice is a food choice that is high in potassium and contains no fat. While apple juice is not as tart as grapefruit or lemon, it does contain acidic substances that help to give it a tart, yet sweet taste. Many apple juice sources also contain added ascorbic acid, which also is known as vitamin C.
Malic Acid
Malic acid is a natural acid that adds a tart, yet sweet flavor to apples. In fact, malic acid is taken from the word "Malus," which is Latin for apple. The acid occurs naturally in apples, but is often added to other foods like candies and pastries to enhance flavor.
Flavor
You can typically tell the level of malic acid in apple juice through tasting it. This is because the more malic acid contained within the juice, the more crisp or tart it tastes, according to Eurofins Scientific, an international laboratory group. If you taste an apple juice that tends to be sweeter, this can be an indication of lower malic acid presence. Because tart apple juice tends to be more popular than its sweeter counterparts, manufacturers use apples that are higher in acid or add malic acid to juice. This may increase the price of the juice, however.
Percentage
While the malic acid in commercial fruit juices can vary dependent upon their flavor, most apple juices contain between 0.3 and 0.6 g/100 g of fruit juice, according to Krueger Food Laboratories, a food-testing laboratory. If sugars are added to apple juice, this will dilute the malic acid content. For this reason, you may wish to look for a juice labeled 100 percent fruit juice if you prefer apple juice that has a more tart taste.
Ascorbic Acid
Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is a water-soluble vitamin, which means you must take in vitamin C through your daily diet because your body does not make it. The average 8 oz. glass of apple juice contains about 103 mg of vitamin C. This is beneficial in meeting the recommended daily allowances for vitamin C, which is 90 mg per day for men and 75 mg for women ages 19 and older. However, not all apple juices are fortified with ascorbic acid. For this reason, read the food labels and ingredients listings to ensure vitamin C has been added if you are trying to get your daily intake in.
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