Zucchini juice is the liquid extract from the zucchini plant.

Zucchini Juice

What is Zucchini Juice?

Zucchini juice is the liquid extract from the zucchini plant. Although many people refer to this plant as a vegetable, botanically it is a fruit.

  • Zucchini juice can be made with a variety of green vegetables, as well as sweet and citrus fruits.
  • In the last fifteen years, the popularity of the juice cleanse and the hip juice joints have led to more and more people in the US consuming this beverage.

The American juicing industry is booming with its market reaching $7.12 billion in 2018. The top 10 best store-bought juice brands, according to VegOut Magazine, are:

  • BluePrint Organic Juices
  • Columbia Gorge Organics
  • Evolution Fresh
  • Lakewood Fresh Pressed Juice
  • Pressed Juicery 
  • R.W. Knudsen Family
  • Santa Cruz Organic
  • Sol-ti
  • Suja Juice
  • WTRMLN WTR

Origin

The origin of juicing can be traced back to 150 BC when records indicate that early humans were mashing fruits together to attain their juices. However, it wasn’t until the 1930s when raw food advocate Dr. Norman Walker invented the juicing machine, which made juicing more accessible. Between the 1950s and the 1960s, the technology for juicing slowly advanced, and people began to experiment with ingredients.

By the 1970s, health food and juicing became wildly popular in the United States with juice bars opening all over the country. This trend continued on into the 1990s and juice soon converted itself into a worldwide industry. During the early 2000s, the rise of diets and special exercise routines made juicing even more popular. Today, many people consume zucchini juice and other fruit or vegetable juices at least once a day to get a daily dose of vitamins and minerals.

Nutrition

Zucchinis are packed full vitamins and minerals, such as:

  • Vitamin A
  • Vitamin B6
  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin K
  • Manganese
  • Potassium
  • Magnesium
  • Folate
  • Copper
  • Phosphorus
  • Thiamine

However, the final ingredients in zucchini juice will decide its nutritional value and calories. Nutritionists recommend packing juices full of greens and adding only a bit of fruit to minimize the sugar content. Nonetheless, juicing may not be right for everyone, as medical studies have shown that juice cleanses can lead to low blood sugar, fainting, headaches, dehydration, or worse. It is not recommendable for very young or old people to do juice cleanses, as they have more vulnerable immune systems.

Commercial Production

The commercial production of green juices, such as zucchini juice, begins with sorting and washing the vegetables. Then, the zucchini is crushed into a pulp that is later squeezed to extract its juices. Extraction is done with industrial machines for optimal results. Next, the zucchini juice is pasteurized, bottled, capped, labeled, and stored until it’s ready to be sold.

Use

Juicing zucchini is a handy way to use up any surplus veggies you may have. For the best results, you should properly wash and prep all fruits and vegetables going into the juice. While you can juice just enough to drink at the moment, any leftovers can also be stored in the refrigerator. Place the zucchini juice in an airtight container and keep it up for up to 2 days.

Zucchini juice recipes

This can be reinvented in many ways. Here are some popular recipes:

FDA Regulation

The Food & Drug Administration classifies zucchini as a raw agricultural commodity and regulates its growing, harvesting, and packing. The FDA also regulates the production of juices, which it defines as the “aqueous liquid expressed or extracted from one or more fruits or vegetables, purees of the edible portions of one or more fruits or vegetables”. There are also regulations concerning which color additives are allowed to be used in vegetable juices. The FDA goes on to describe how these juices should be labeled to be in compliance with their regulations.

References

“Zucchini.” Truefoodfact.com, True Food Fact, 6 July 2020, truefoodfact.com/food/zucchini/. 

Crocker, Pat. “A Brief History of Juicing.” Dummies.com, Dummies, www.dummies.com/food-drink/recipes/a-brief-history-of-juicing/. 

“The Full History of Juicing: Is It Just a Trend? .” Wellpared.com, Well Pared, 27 Nov. 2017, wellpared.com/full-history-juicing-not-trend/.

“CFR – Code of Federal Regulations Title 21.” Accessdata.fda.gov, The U.S. Food & Drug Administration, 1 Apr. 2019, www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfCFR/CFRSearch.cfm?CFRPart=112.