Chile Prune Juice Concentrate
Chilean prune juice concentrate is the water extract of dried plums, Prunus domestica, obtained by countercurrent diffusion and evaporated to a dense dark syrup, most commonly standardised to around 70 degrees Brix, with Chile being one of the two principal origins for the raw dried fruit.
It differs from an ordinary fruit juice concentrate in starting from dried rather than fresh fruit, so the sugars, acids and colour have already been concentrated in the plum and further modified by the drying process. The composition reflects that. Sorbitol is present at a high level, which is the basis of the laxative effect associated with prunes and also makes the concentrate strongly humectant, so it holds moisture in whatever it is added to. Sugars are dominated by fructose and glucose, malic acid sets the acidity, and the deep brown colour comes from a combination of polyphenols and melanoidins formed during drying. Chlorogenic and neochlorogenic acid are the characteristic phenolics, and they contribute both antioxidant activity and a mild antimicrobial effect.
The concentrate is a viscous near black syrup packed in drums, pails and aseptic bags, and it pours only slowly at room temperature. It is microbiologically stable at full strength because of its very low water activity, and it is bought as much for what it does functionally in a formulation as for its flavour.
We source bulk Chile Prune Juice Concentrate from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Shanghai. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
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- Function
- Beverage ingredient
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Dense viscous syrup, free from fruit fragments and foreign matter |
| Colour | Dark brown to near black |
| Flavour and odour | Characteristic prune, sweet and slightly caramelised, no burnt or fermented note |
| Total soluble solids | 70.0 degrees Brix minimum at 20 degrees Celsius |
| Acidity, as malic acid | 2.0 to 4.0 percent on concentrate |
| pH | 3.5 to 4.2 |
| Sorbitol | Declared per lot |
| Water activity | 0.70 maximum |
| Sulphur dioxide | Declared per lot, or not detected for sulphite free grade |
| Lead | 0.1 mg/kg maximum |
| Total plate count | 100 cfu/g maximum |
| Yeast and mould | 10 cfu/g maximum |
| Escherichia coli | Negative in 1 g |
| Salmonella | Negative in 25 g |
Common Markets Grades
Brix is the main specification, with 70 degrees the standard trade figure and 68 or 72 degrees traded to order. Below that sits single strength prune juice, reconstituted from the same concentrate, and above it prune paste and prune purée, which retain the fruit solids rather than being an extract. Clarified and unclarified concentrates are both offered, the unclarified grade carrying more colour and body.
Origin and fruit grade drive quality within that. Chilean and Californian dried plums are the two main raw material sources, and within each, the concentrate can be made from whole graded fruit or from the pieces, broken fruit and trimmings that are a by-product of the table prune trade, the latter being the more usual and cheaper feedstock. Grades are further distinguished by whether the fruit was sulphited before drying, which affects both colour and the allergen declaration, and by whether potassium sorbate is added to the finished concentrate for opened pack stability. Organic certified material is a separate segregated line.
Applications
- Prune juice and juice blends, reconstituted with water and filled chilled or aseptically
- Bakery goods, where the sorbitol content holds moisture and extends the soft eating life of cakes and bars
- Meat products and marinades, used as a natural humectant and antioxidant that also contributes colour
- Fruit and cereal bars, as a binder that carries sweetness and darkens the matrix
- Barbecue sauces, glazes and brown sauces, contributing depth of colour and a sweet fruit note
- Confectionery and fruit chews, where the high solids reduce the water to be evaporated in the cook
- Fat replacement systems in baked goods, replacing part of the shortening with fruit solids
- Digestive health products, drinks and supplements formulated around the sorbitol content
- Pet food and treats, as a palatant and browning agent
- Ice cream ripples and dessert sauces, where the low water activity resists freezing solid
China Manufacturers of Chile Prune Juice Concentrate
Top Chile Prune Juice Concentrate manufacturers in China.
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
Regulatory Status
Prune juice concentrate is a food rather than a food additive, so it carries no E number. In the European Union it falls within the fruit juice framework of Directive 2001/112/EC as amended, which recognises juice obtained from dried fruit and sets out the treatments and additions permitted, and manufacture is subject to Regulation 852/2004 and the general food law. In the United States it is a conventional food made under the preventive controls rules at 21 CFR Part 117, and reconstituted prune juice sold as juice falls under the juice hazard analysis regulation at 21 CFR Part 120, with percentage juice declaration following 21 CFR 101.30.
Two ingredient level issues recur. Sulphur dioxide and sulphites, used on some dried fruit before drying to protect colour, are declarable allergens above the threshold in both markets, appearing in Annex II of Regulation 1169/2011 in the European Union and requiring declaration in the United States, so the sulphite status of the feedstock has to be established at purchase rather than assumed. Regulation 1333/2008 authorises potassium sorbate, where added to the concentrate, as E202, and 21 CFR 182.3640 permits it in the United States. Contaminant control focuses on pesticide residues, which Regulation 396/2005 governs in the European Union and tolerances at 40 CFR Part 180 govern in the United States, and on mycotoxins in the dried fruit supply, which suppliers manage through their own controls and lot testing. Codex maintains a standard for dried prunes that is used as the reference for the raw material.
Manufacturing Process
Dried plums are received, inspected and cleaned, and where whole fruit is used they are pitted. The fruit is fed into a countercurrent diffuser or a battery of extraction vessels and washed with hot water, so that soluble sugars, acids, sorbitol, colour and polyphenols pass into the water while the insoluble fruit solids remain behind. Countercurrent operation, in which the freshest water meets the most exhausted fruit, is what allows a high extraction yield without diluting the extract beyond what can be economically evaporated. Extraction temperature and residence time are controlled, since prolonged hot extraction darkens the liquor further and can develop a cooked, caramelised character.
The raw extract is screened and centrifuged to remove fine solids, and is filtered where a clarified grade is required. Water is then removed in a multi effect falling film evaporator under vacuum, with the later effects often run as a forced circulation system because the liquor becomes very viscous as it approaches 70 degrees Brix. The concentrate is standardised for Brix and acidity, pasteurised, cooled and filled hot into drums, pails or aseptic bags. The spent fruit solids from the diffuser go to fibre products or to animal feed rather than being discarded.
