Prune juice is a fruit juice derived from prunes (dried plums) that have been rehydrated. It is a mass-produced product that is often produced using a hot extraction method, and juice concentrate is typically produced using a low-temperature extraction method. It may be used as a dietary supplement to act as a laxative. It is also sometimes used as a flavor enhancer in tobacco products. It is an ingredient in many cocktails, such as the Purple Dragon, or Constipolitan.

Composition

Prune juice is 81% water, 17% carbohydrates, 0.6% protein, and contains negligible fat. In the United States, bottled or canned prune juice contains "not less than 18.5% by the weight of water-soluble solids extracted from dried plums".

Nutrition

In a reference amount of 100 g, canned prune juice supplies 71 calories, and is a moderate source of vitamin B6 (17% of the Daily Value), with no other micronutrients in significant content (table).

Phytochemicals

Prune juice and plums contain phytochemicals, including phenolic compounds (mainly as neochlorogenic acids and chlorogenic acids) and sorbitol.

Production

Prune juice is often produced using hot extraction methods, whereby the prunes are cooked in hot water, becoming a liquid extract, which is then processed into juice. The process of heating and extraction may occur several times with the same batch of prunes, with the collective extracts from each processing then mixed together to create the final product. Prune juice is a mass-produced product. Prune juice is also produced as a concentrate, whereby low temperature water is used to create a liquid extract. The concentrate has a high sugar content, and is used by food processors to enhance the flavor of and sweeten products, as a humectant to retain moisture in cookies and cakes, and as an ingredient in cereal bars to bind the ingredients.

As a dietary supplement

Prunes may provide a natural laxative effect, and prune juice may serve as a natural laxative for cases of mild constipation. In 1990, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration stated that "the common prune was not an effective laxative".

History

United States

Duffy-Mott began producing prune juice in 1933, which was purveyed under the Sunsweet brand name. The commercial distribution of prune juice in the United States first occurred in 1934, which "began with an output of only 40,000 cases".

Other uses

Prune juice concentrate, prune extracts and plum extracts are sometimes used as an additive in tobacco products to enhance flavor.

In popular culture

In the Star Trek episode "Yesterday's Enterprise", the Klingon character Worf is introduced to prune juice by Guinan. He declares that it is a "warrior's drink" and begins to drink it regularly in subsequent episodes, even carrying the habit over to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. In the series Suits, the character Louis Litt (played by Rick Hoffman) drinks prunies, which are prune juice smoothies.

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