Developments in Brief : Clear Apricot Juice Economically Feasible

Researchers have developed a clear apricot juice that they hope will boost California’s apricot market because it should have more uses in beverages and foods than the regular thick nectar.

Clear juice should be easier to use than the cloudy nectar when added to such products as soft drinks, fruit drinks and frozen juice bars, said Charles C. Huxsoll, a researcher at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s research lab in Albany, Calif.

The clear juice is produced by adding enzymes and then straining the liquid. The juice is first extracted from the pulpy concentrate by using a particular blend of commercially available enzymes, known as “macerating enzymes.” Very small amounts of these natural chemicals quickly break down the concentrate into liquid and some pulp residue. The juice is then passed through a porous ceramic filter, which separates the clear juice from the leftover pulp.

Only recently have the enzymes used in the process been available at a reasonable cost, Huxsoll said. The new process, announced last week, is “probably the most simple and least expensive yet devised to produce a clear apricot juice as opposed to a thick nectar,” he said.

The potential new uses for apricots, almost exclusively a California crop, could increase the fruit’s retail value by $15 million, according to Leslie A. Rose of the Apricot Producers of California. In a good year, the state’s apricot crop can be worth up to $37 million to growers and have a retail value of $126 million.