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Juice or nectar? Jam or jam? Supermarket foods that seem like one thing but are another
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Reviewing food labeling and understanding the differences between products will prevent us from buying something different from what we were really looking for in the supermarket
Can you tell the difference between juice and nectar? And the jam in the marmalade? Do you usually buy cold cuts of ham or cooked ham? Some product designations We find them more attractive than others (they may even evoke something more fresh or natural) but that does not mean that they are more healthy. According to the Regulation on food information provided to the consumer, this type of information must be clear and easy to understand, it will not mislead as to the characteristics of the food, nor will it attribute effects or properties that it does not possess. However, when reading the food label the final consumer does not always understand the differences that exist between products that are apparently similar. Some of the most frequent confusions, according to María Jesús Pombo Laguía, a biologist specialized in Food Technology, are those that occur when trying to distinguish between juice and nectar, jam and marmalade, cooked ham and cold cuts of ham, cheese and melted cheese. , yogurt and fermented milk and finally minced meat, hamburger and burger meat.
They are subtle but important differences. Let’s go by parts.
Is juice or nectar better?
When defining the juice we find various denominations. The juice obtained from the edible parts of healthy and ripe fruits and the juice based on concentrate, which is the product obtained by reconstituting a concentrated fruit juice with water, according to the expert.
As to nectar Fruit, is the product obtained by adding water and sugars or honey to fruit juice or fruit juice based on concentrate. “The adition of sugars or honey is authorized in an amount not exceeding 20% of the total weight of the finished product “, according to Pombo.
Thus, after the legal name of “juice”, whether or not it comes from concentrate, the food technology specialist explains that a product must be offered that is the juice of the reference fruit, without the addition of additives or colorants, while the Nectars are obtained by adding water, sugars and / or sweeteners to the juice.
Is it better jam or jam?
The difference between jam and jam is based mainly on the fact that to make the jam the fruit is cooked with sugar and to make the jam it is cooked in a syrup (water and sugar).
According to María Jesús Pombo, the jam It is the product prepared by cooking whole fruits, chopped, crushed, sieved or not, to which sugars have been incorporated until obtaining a semi-liquid or thick product. “The minimum amount of fruit will be between 30% and 50% for the extra jam,” he clarifies.
La jamHowever, it is the mixture, with the appropriate gelled consistency, of sugars, pulp or puree of one or more species of fruits and water. Citrus jam can also be obtained from the whole fruit, cut into strips or slices. “The quantity of pulp must be a minimum of 35%”, adds Pombo.
Is Processed Cheese Really Cheese?
Cheese, as Pombo recalls, must be a fresh or matured, solid or semi-solid product, obtained from milk (totally or partially skimmed), cream, buttermilk or a mixture of some or all of these products. , totally or partially coagulated by the action of rennet.
However, when we acquire melted cheese In reality we are not exactly buying cheese, as it is a product obtained by grinding, mixing, melting and emulsifying one or more varieties of cheese with or without the addition of milk, dairy products and other food products.
Yogurt is not the same as fermented milk
Not all products that seem yogurt or that they are packaged as a yogurt they really are. Thus, the specialist in food technology explains that “yogurt” is the product of coagulated milk obtained by lactic fermentation through the action of “Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and streptococus thermophilus “, which is why, as clarified, the product obtained by the fermentation of other microorganisms such as” lactobacillus casei or bifidobacerium “cannot be called yogurt, but is called” fermented milk “.
Of course, the expert clarifies in this case that the fact that we are talking about different ferments does not mean that the product has lower or higher quality, since in both cases they provide probiotics.
Does cooked ham matter than cold cuts of ham?
If the product is made from meat pieces, without starch, it will be called with the anatomical name of the piece: cooked ham.
But, as Pombo explains, if starch (starch) is added to the product, it will be called ham cold cuts. That is why the expert affirms that cooked ham has a higher percentage of meat than cold cuts.
And what about meat preparations?
When it comes to differentiating products made with meat, the expert advises distinguishing between minced meat, hamburgers and “burger meat”.
La mince It is the result of having subjected the meat to a chopping operation into more or less fine pieces. This cannot contain any seasoning or preservative additive except, where appropriate, less than 1% salt (a practice, by the way, which is not common in Spain, as revealed by Pombo). This product has a very short shelf life (2-3 days).
Companies that burgers They are made with minced meat to which other ingredients, condiments and spices are added to give it a characteristic flavor. Thus, María Jesús Pombo explains that they can contain antioxidant additives (vitamin C – ascorbic acid, tocopherol … etc) but not preservatives. This product also has a short shelf life (2-3 days) unless it is marketed frozen.
La «burger meat» It is a product made with minced meat to which other ingredients (cereals and vegetables), condiments and spices are added. Use sulfites as preservatives. Its useful life, according to the expert, is longer (around 10 days).
Ultimately, each consumer must choose the product that is closest to their needs, but always knowing what they are really buying to decide if they prefer to choose the option that is healthier.