PRODUCT NAMES, DEFINITIONS OF PRODUCTS AND CHARACTERISTICS
I. DEFINITIONS
1. | (a) Fruit juice The fermentable but unfermented product obtained from the edible part of fruit which is sound and ripe, fresh or preserved by chilling or freezing of one or more kinds mixed together having the characteristic colour, flavour and taste typical of the juice of the fruit from which it comes. Flavour, pulp, and cells obtained by suitable physical means from the same species of fruit may be restored to the juice. In the case of citrus fruits, the fruit juice must come from the endocarp. Lime juice, however, may be obtained from the whole fruit. Where juices are processed from fruits with pips, seeds and peel, parts or components of pips, seeds and peel shall not be incorporated in the juice. This provision shall not apply to cases where parts or components of pips, seeds and peel cannot be removed by good manufacturing practices. The mixing of fruit juice with fruit purée is authorised in the production of the fruit juice. (b) Fruit juice from concentrate ▼M6 The product obtained by reconstituting concentrated fruit juice as defined in point 2 with potable water that meets the criteria set out in Directive (EU) 2020/2184 of the European Parliament and of the Council (5). ▼M4 The soluble solids content of the finished product shall meet the minimum Brix level for reconstituted juice specified in Annex V. If a juice from concentrate is manufactured from a fruit not mentioned in Annex V, the minimum Brix level of the reconstituted juice shall be the Brix level of the juice as extracted from the fruit used to make the concentrate. Flavour, pulp and cells obtained by suitable physical means from the same species of fruit may be restored to the fruit juice from concentrate. The fruit juice from concentrate is prepared by suitable processes, which maintain the essential physical, chemical, organoleptical and nutritional characteristics of an average type of juice of the fruit from which it comes. The mixing of fruit juice and/or concentrated fruit juice with fruit purée and/or concentrated fruit purée is authorised in the production of fruit juice from concentrate. |
2. | Concentrated fruit juice The product obtained from fruit juice of one or more fruit species by the physical removal of a specific proportion of the water content. Where the product is intended for direct consumption, the removal shall be at least 50 % of the water content. Flavour, pulp and cells obtained by suitable physical means from the same species of fruit may be restored to the concentrated fruit juice. |
3. | Water extracted fruit juice The product obtained by diffusion with water of: pulpy whole fruit whose juice cannot be extracted by any physical means, or dehydrated whole fruit. |
4. | Dehydrated/powdered fruit juice The product obtained from fruit juice of one or more fruit species by the physical removal of virtually all the water content. |
5. | Fruit nectar The fermentable but unfermented product which: Without prejudice to Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods (6), where fruit nectars are manufactured without added sugars or with reduced energy value, sugars may be replaced wholly or partially by sweeteners, in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008. Flavour, pulp and cells obtained by suitable physical means from the same species of fruit may be restored to the fruit nectar. is obtained by adding water with or without the addition of sugars and/or honey to the products defined in points 1 to 4 to fruit purée and/or to concentrated fruit purée and/or to a mixture of those products, and meets the requirements of Annex IV. |
6. | Reduced-sugar fruit juice The product obtained from fruit juice as defined in point 1(a) where the amount of naturally occurring sugars has been reduced by at least 30 % by using a process authorised under the conditions laid down in point 3 of Part II which maintains all the other essential physical, chemical, organoleptic and nutritional characteristics of an average type of juice of the fruit which it comes from. Reduced-sugar fruit juice may be obtained by mixing reduced-sugar fruit juice with fruit juice, fruit purée or both. Reduced-sugar fruit juice from concentrate The product obtained from fruit juice from concentrate as defined in point 1(b) where the amount of naturally occurring sugars has been reduced by at least 30 % by using a process authorised under the conditions laid down in point 3 of Part II which maintains all the other essential physical, chemical, organoleptic and nutritional characteristics of an average type of juice of the fruit which it comes from, or the product obtained by reconstituting concentrated reduced-sugar fruit juice as defined in point 7 with potable water that meets the criteria set out in Directive (EU) 2020/2184. Reduced-sugar fruit juice from concentrate may be obtained by mixing reduced-sugar fruit juice from concentrate with one or more of the following products: fruit juice, fruit juice from concentrate, reduced-sugar fruit juice, concentrated fruit purée and fruit purée. |
7. | Concentrated reduced-sugar fruit juice The product obtained from concentrated fruit juice as defined in point 2 where the amount of naturally occurring sugars has been reduced by at least 30 % by using a process authorised under the conditions laid down in point 3 of Part II which maintains all the other essential physical, chemical, organoleptic and nutritional characteristics of an average type of product, or the product obtained from reduced-sugar fruit juice as defined in point 6(a) by the physical removal of a specific proportion of its water content. Where the product is intended for direct consumption, the removal shall be at least 50 % of the water content. |
II. AUTHORISED INGREDIENTS, TREATMENTS AND SUBSTANCES
1. Composition
The species corresponding to the botanical name in Annex V shall be used in the preparation of fruit juices, fruit purées and fruit nectars bearing the product name for the applicable fruit or the common name of the product. For fruit species not included in Annex V, the correct botanical or common name shall apply.
For fruit juice the Brix level shall be the one of the juice as extracted from the fruit and shall not be modified, except by blending with the juice of the same species of fruit.
The minimum Brix level established in Annex V for reconstituted fruit juice and reconstituted fruit purée is exclusive of the soluble solids of any added optional ingredients and additives.
2. Authorised ingredients
Only the following ingredients may be added to the products referred to in Part I:
Vitamins and minerals as authorised in Regulation (EC) No 1925/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2006 on the addition of vitamins and minerals and of certain other substances to foods ( 7 );
Food additives authorised in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008; however, sweeteners are not allowed in the manufacture of the products listed in Part I of this Annex, except for fruit nectars;
and in addition:
For fruit juice, fruit juice from concentrate, concentrated fruit juice, reduced-sugar fruit juice, reduced-sugar fruit juice from concentrate and concentrated reduced-sugar fruit juice: restored flavour, pulp and cells;
For grape juice: restored salts of tartaric acids;
For fruit nectars: restored flavour, pulp and cells; sugars and/or honey up to 20 % of the total weight of the finished products referred to in Part I of Annex IV, 15 % of the total weight of the finished products referred to in Part II of Annex IV and 10 % of the total weight of the finished products referred to in Part III of Annex IV; and/or sweeteners.
A claim stating that sugars have not been added to fruit nectar, and any claim likely to have the same meaning for the consumer, may only be made where the product does not contain any added mono- or disaccharides or any other food used for its sweetening properties, including sweeteners as defined in Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008. Where such a claim is made, the following indication shall also appear on the label: ‘contains naturally occurring sugars’;
For products referred to in point (a), the first indent of point (b), point (c), the second indent of point (e) and point (h) of Annex III: sugars and/or honey;
For products defined in points 1 to 7 of Part I, in order to regulate acidic taste: lemon and/or lime juice and/or concentrated lemon and/or lime juice, up to 3 g per litre of juice, expressed as anhydrous citric acid;
For tomato juice and tomato juice from concentrate: salt, spices and aromatic herbs.
For reduced-sugar fruit juice and reduced-sugar fruit juice from concentrate: water, to the extent strictly necessary to restore the water lost due to the sugar reduction process.
3. Authorised treatments and substances
Only the following treatments may be applied and only the following substances may be added to the products referred to in Part I:
Mechanical extraction processes;
The usual physical processes, including in-line water extraction (diffusion) of the edible part of fruits other than grapes for the manufacture of concentrated fruit juices, provided that the fruit juices thus obtained comply with point 1 of Part I;
For grape juice, where sulphitation with sulphur dioxide of the grapes has been used, desulphitation by physical means is authorised, provided that the total quantity of SO 2 present in the final product does not exceed 10 mg/l;
Enzyme preparations: pectinases (for breakdown of pectin), proteinases (for breakdown of proteins) and amylases (for breakdown of starch) meeting the requirements of Regulation (EC) No 1332/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on food enzymes ( 8 );
Edible gelatine;
Tannins;
Silica sol;
Charcoal;
Nitrogen;
Bentonite as an adsorbent clay;
Chemically inert filtration aids and precipitation agents (including perlite, washed diatomite, cellulose, insoluble polyamide, polyvinylpolypyrrolidone, polystyrene), which comply with Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 October 2004 on materials and articles intended to come into contact with food ( 9 );
Chemically inert adsorption aids which comply with Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004, and which are used to reduce the limonoid and naringin content of citrus juice without significantly affecting the limonoid glucosides, acid, sugars (including oligosaccharides) or mineral content;
Plant proteins from wheat, peas, potatoes or sunflower seeds for clarification;
Only for reduced-sugar fruit juice, reduced-sugar fruit juice from concentrate and concentrated reduced-sugar fruit juice: processes to reduce the amount of naturally occurring sugars, to the extent that they maintain all the other essential physical, chemical, organoleptic and nutritional characteristics of an average type of juice of the fruit which it comes from, namely membrane filtration and yeast fermentation.