The Nutritional Composition of Purees and Pomace compared to whole fruits

Beverage manufacturers are exploring the use of citrus pomace as an ingredient to enhance the nutritional value of their products. Fruit and vegetable purees are currently prevalent in the beverage industry. As juice is perceived to be less nutritious than whole fruit, manufacturers are striving to bridge the nutritional gap between the two. But the nutrition content of these purees and pomaces compared to the whole fruit yet to be established.

The Nutritional Composition of Purees and Pomace compared to whole fruits

Based on the historical literature, suppliers or internal processing through a Good Nature Press were used to obtain blueberry, cranberry, carrot, mango, and apple purees and pomaces. The total dietary fiber, sugars, as well as various vitamins and minerals were analyzed for both purees and pomaces. The study concluded that on a dry matter basis, pomace had higher concentrations of total dietary fiber compared to both purees and fruits. Conversely, pomace had the lowest concentrations of sugars as most of them are extracted during the juicing process, leaving dietary fiber with the pomace. While there were some differences in the concentrations of micronutrients between purees, pomace, and fruit, most of these differences were negligible. Therefore, utilizing pomace as a food ingredient can enhance the total dietary fiber content without causing significant loss of micronutrients compared to purees and fruits.

Compared to commercially available purees, fruit and vegetable pomaces contain a substantial amount of dietary fiber. Incorporating these pomaces into beverages could increase their nutritional value, particularly their total fiber content, making them more similar to whole fruits and vegetables. Therefore, this research suggests the need for further investigation into the composition of other nutrients, processing difficulties, stability, and sensory characteristics.