Concord grapes for juicing

Grape juice world production is estimated to be between 11 and 12 million hectolitres, where the main producing and consuming countries of this beverage are the United States of America, Brazil and Spain. In the United States, the main cultivars used for juice production are mainly Concord and cultivars.

The Concord grape is a distinctive dark purple grape variety grown with expertise and care by Welch’s family-farmer owners in select regions across North America. It is a sweet and boldly delicious grape, perfect for creating flavorful 100% juices, as well as fruit juice-containing beverages and dairy products. Grapes are one of the richest sources of phenolic compounds among fruits. Therefore, grape juices have been broadly studied due to their composition in phenolic compounds and their potential beneficial effects on human health, specifically the ability to prevent various diseases associated with oxidative stress, including cancers, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases.

Concord grape juice is a nutrition powerhouse, delivering more polyphenols than most other commonly consumed juices. Consumption of Concord grape juice, as part of a produce-rich diet, can positively impact health. Mostly attributed to polyphenols–natural source of nutrients that support health:
*Found in skins and seeds of Concord grapes
*Give grapes their color
*Naturally function as antioxidants to protect against too many free radicals
*Have other important health-promoting effect. Flavonoids are the largest and most studied sub-group of polyphenols.

In Concord grapes, flavonoids are particularly found in the skins and seeds. The skin has a high concentration of a class of flavonoids called anthocyanins, while the seeds contain flavanols, including proanthocyanidins.
Concord grapes for juicing

Manufacturing of Grape Juice

Manufacturing of Grape Juice
The Concord variety is chiefly used for the manufacture of grape juice. The grape are washed in acid or alkaline solution, then in water to remove spray residues, then destemmed and crushed by mechanical means. The crushed grapes are heated to about 180 F to extract pigment from the skins, after which the heated materials subjected to mechanical pressure while enclosed on cotton press cloths. The juice is then filtered, pasteurized by heating to 1790 F, and stored in bulk in covered tanks at about 40 F. This provides for the separation of tartaric acid slats. The juice is then siphoned off from the tartrate and treated with enzymes, which break down pectin, or with casein for purposes or clarification. It is then filtered and bottled. The bottles are capped and then pasteurized by heating in water at 170 F for 30 min.

To produce grape juice concentrate, grape juice is subjected to heat and evaporation until concentrated. Volatile components can be recovered from the process, and they can be added back to the concentrate. The concentrated juice may be frozen in retail sized containers, or it may be shipped in large tanks to food processors for remanufacturing process.
Manufacturing of Grape Juice