This is something people had wondered for decades. Back in the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, & 70’s people would often buy tubes of frozen fruit paste that they would they mix with water and create a jug of juice. This was most commonly practiced with orange juice.
The label stated that it was just as health as fresh orange juice. A huge portion of families bought these products because the frozen pulp tube could be kept in the freezer for up to a year and was less than half the price of fresh squeezed.
The data is in. Frozen orange juice concentrate can be nearly as healthy as fresh-squeezed orange juice, but there are a few nuances to consider. Both options provide key nutrients like vitamin C, potassium, and folate, which are naturally present in oranges. The main differences come down to processing, nutrient retention, and added ingredients.
Fresh squeezed juice has little to no processing and impurities. Whereas the frozen pulp in a tube cannot promise the same. If you buy a quality frozen fruit product then you are basically getting near-fresh-squeezed nutrients however.
Of course, you don’t have to worry about this debate if you order fresh fruit smoothies in the Outer Banks. Here they prepare fresh fruit every single day for premium smoothie production. Just ask any of their many loyal customers and they’ll tell you the same thing.
Fresh tastes better and may be slightly better for you but don’t skip on frozen fruit if that is all that is available to you at any given time.