Dr. Ettinger and I just returned from Las Vegas, NV where we attended the NNFA (NPA) conference. I really find these conferences interesting with all the new products and ideas – it’s just a good thing to go see. But the one thing that really caught my attention was the amount of new Goji, Mangosteen and Acai products that are being sold. We have been selling Noni now for seven years, Goji for four years, Mangosteen for three, and Acai almost two. I have to say some of the new products are not what one would expect; especially some of the, so called, “pure” Goji Juices that are being displayed. A little known fact is that raw goji juice pretty much looks like fresh carrot juice. To some this may seem odd because goji berries are reddish orange in color. What we found were thick, cooked, dark brown liquids, not cold pressed pure juice.
One particular company claims to be the first pure 100% goji, with absolutely nothing else added. First of all, the juice is a thick dark brown syrup. Secondly, it smells like a liquid mix of honey, caramel and molasses. Third, it tastes terrible. So again, knowing what 100% pure goji juice looks and tastes like, there is just no possible way what we saw and tasted is 100% cold pressed, flash pasteurized goji juice. My guess is that it is a 100% lifeless cooked down version.
One of the main reasons we have always blended our juices is because you can achieve better product stabilization and synergy without adding preservatives and chemicals. Juices just don’t do well by themselves storage-wise. But with a proper blend of certain juices and berries you can achieve a natural balance and then flash-pasteurizing the liquid you can bottle products without harming the healthful properties of the juice. Some may say that is too simple, but that it is our little trick and believe me, it took some trial and error to get it right.
There will be more to come on this topic and some new product surprises are coming soon!
Thanks,
CAOH
