Green Plum Concentrate
Green plum concentrate is the concentrated juice of the Japanese apricot, Prunus mume, an East Asian stone fruit picked while the flesh is still firm and green and known in Chinese as qingmei and in Japanese as ume.
The fruit is unusually acidic, with citric and malic acid dominating and total acidity in the finished juice several times that of apple or pear, and it carries a distinctive sharp aroma built on benzaldehyde and short chain esters. Juice is concentrated to between 50 and 65 degrees Brix, giving an amber to dark brown viscous liquid whose colour deepens with the severity of the heat treatment.
In use the concentrate acts as an acidulant, a flavour and a colour at the same time, which is why it is dosed at low inclusion into sweetened drinks rather than reconstituted to full strength for direct drinking. It is fully water soluble, stable in acidic media, and holds its flavour well through pasteurisation, though its colour will darken further under prolonged heat or in the presence of iron.
We source bulk Green Plum Concentrate from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Zhejiang. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
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- Function
- Beverage ingredient
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Amber to dark brown viscous liquid |
| Flavour and Odour | Sharp, characteristic green plum, free from fermented notes |
| Brix at 20 degrees C | 50.0 to 65.0 per grade |
| Titratable Acidity | 18.0 to 30.0 percent as citric acid |
| pH | 2.4 to 3.0 |
| Clarity | Clear for clarified grade, sediment not more than 1 percent |
| Hydrocyanic Acid | Not more than 1 mg per kg |
| Lead | Not more than 0.05 mg per kg |
| Arsenic | Not more than 0.1 mg per kg |
| Total Plate Count | Not more than 1,000 cfu per g |
| Yeast and Mould | Not more than 100 cfu per g |
| E. coli | Absent in 10 g |
| Salmonella | Absent in 25 g |
Common Markets Grades
The main trade grades are a 50 Brix and a 65 Brix clarified concentrate, with a cloudy grade retaining more of the pulp derived body for fruit drinks that carry visible turbidity. Concentrate produced from fruit picked at the green immature stage gives higher acidity and a sharper aroma, while material from riper yellow fruit is softer and more floral, and lots are usually offered on that distinction.
Secondary formats include a smoked or roasted plum concentrate made from processed fruit for savoury and traditional beverage applications, a deacidified grade for use where the natural acid load is impractical, and organic certified lots. Green plum juice is also traded as a single strength juice and as a puree, which are separate specifications from the concentrate.
Applications
- Green plum flavoured soft drinks and sparkling waters, where the concentrate supplies both acidity and the characteristic aroma
- Tea shop beverages and iced fruit teas, blended with black or oolong tea bases
- Plum wine, fruit liqueur and ready to drink alcohol products as the fruit base
- Vinegar drinks and fermented fruit beverages, where the acid profile suits the format
- Concentrated syrups for dilution at home or in foodservice dispensers
- Confectionery, plum candy and preserved fruit coatings needing sharp fruit acidity
- Jelly, pudding and dessert preparations that take a tart fruit note
- Sauces, marinades and glazes in East Asian cooking, where plum acid balances fatty meat
- Nutraceutical and organic acid supplement formats sold on the fruit acid content
China Manufacturers of Green Plum Concentrate
Top Green Plum 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
Green plum juice and its concentrate are conventional foods derived from an edible fruit and are not additive regulated. In the United States they fall under the general food provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, with labelling and percent juice declaration under 21 CFR 101 and 21 CFR 102, and with juice processors operating under the HACCP requirements of 21 CFR 120.
In the European Union the product sits within the fruit juice framework of Directive 2001/112/EC as amended by Directive 2012/12/EU, and the Codex standard for fruit juices and nectars, CXS 247-2005, is the international reference. The point of regulatory attention specific to this fruit is cyanogenic glycoside content in the kernel, which is controlled by destoning intact fruit and is verified analytically on the finished concentrate. Heavy metal and pesticide residue limits follow the general contaminant rules for stone fruit products.
Manufacturing Process
Green plums are harvested over a short window in early summer, delivered promptly because the fruit softens quickly, then washed and destoned. Because the pits carry amygdalin, destoning is done before any prolonged maceration so that the kernels are not crushed into the juice stream. The destoned flesh is milled and either pressed directly or held in a short enzymatic maceration with pectinase to break down the cell wall and raise juice yield.
Pressed juice is screened, centrifuged and, for clarified grades, filtered or ultrafiltered to remove pectin and protein haze. It then passes to a vacuum falling film evaporator, where water is removed at low boiling temperature to limit browning and to preserve the benzaldehyde character that defines the fruit. The concentrate is pulled to target Brix, checked for acidity and Brix to acid ratio, flash pasteurised, cooled and filled into aseptic bags inside drums, or frozen for extended storage.
