Juices from the stores are getting less fresh and nutritious every day. This is due to the use of preservatives, additives, and sweetening content. With a juicer, you can extract fresh juice with a high nutrient yield for immediate consumption.
These devices are equipped with a motor that propels the extraction mechanism at a speed range of around 60 to 16,000 rotations per minute. Note, however; fast doesn’t necessarily guarantee quality juice yield with juice devices. If that’s so, the question now is: how does a juicer work, and which produces the best yield and preserve the juice nutrient?
You need a juicer that meets all of your nutritional needs, especially for all diabetics and cancer patients who need to boost their immune systems.
On the market, there are the slow masticating juicers, centrifugal juicers, twin gear juicers, and the cold press juicers all work differently. Let’s see how each works.
How Slow Masticating Juicers Work?
Also called the slow juicers, the masticating juicers extract juice through chewing. This juice extractor has an endless screw that is used to crush fruits and vegetables after they have passed through the chute. Moreover, this type of juicers are the best juicers to make leafy green juice.
They then separate the pulp and the juice by slowly squeezing the food. The juice passes through a mesh, while the pulp is pushed into a separate container. Food is crushed at a slower speed, between 60 and 100 rpm.
Since the extraction process is much slower and does not introduce as much heat and oxygen as with a centrifuge juicer, it provides you more nutritious juice with less degradation of food.
Slow juice extractors generally have a high juice yield which is great for the wallet as well as the planet. Slow juicers, however, are 2-3 times more expensive than juicers.
On the other hand, the slow juicer will get clogged if you try to place large pieces inside the chute without cutting them.
Poor quality gear lock could even cause them to break. For this reason, masticating extractors require more preparation time with cutting fruits and vegetables.
The quality of the juice is excellent: the juice is thick, fresh, has very little foam, and can stay that way for a day.
Since they squeeze food very slowly, there is no heat to destroy the enzymes and antioxidants in the juice.
Many chewing juicers can also be used to create baby sorbets, ice creams, and purees. They can even be used to make butter and milk from various types of nuts.
They come with more parts and cleaning them can be complicated.
How a Centrifugal Juicer Works?
The centrifugal juicers extract juice at a very high speed. They’re available in vertical designs.
All you just need to do is wash your fruit and/or vegetables thoroughly and put them in through the usually larger chute. Remember to peel them except for those with edible skin. For example, if you want to have pineapple juice, you must remove the skin first.
When everything is in the machine, the force of the juicer will project the fruit onto the walls of the sieve. The motor usually runs as fast as 6,000 to 16,000 rpm. The function of the sieve is to pass the juice of your fruits or vegetables by separating the pulp and the seeds. Your juice will flow into a jug or pitcher.
The pulps and seeds will be transformed into a puree and will be sent to a recycling bin. Now you have your juice and you can enjoy it in peace.
You can use your centrifuge for other preparations. You can make smoothies, juice, milkshakes, and cocktails with them.
If you plan to juice only soft vegetables or fruits, a device with a power of 400 watts will do the trick. However, for fairly hard foods like carrots and turnips, you need a device with a minimum power of 700 watts. For the speed of rotation, if you want to spend as little time as possible to have your juice, opt for a machine with a high speed of rotation (between 10,000 to 15,000 rpm). Some models are designed with multiple speeds. It’s up to you to choose which one you want.
How a Twin Gear Juicer Works?
Twin gear juicers, unlike the conventional (centrifugal), don’t squeeze but grind the fruits and vegetables.
What makes the twin gear juicer different from the slow masticator is that while the slow masticator has an auger that presses food against the chamber, the twin gear juicers have two metal gears that are placed closely together. Hence, the gears cut, squeeze, and crush the fruit or vegetable introduced into the chute more effectively but at a slower speed.
There are cylindrical augers that have spiral grooves with a gap of around 0.1 mm. These augers crush the fruits into a slurry at at a low speed of around 110 rpm.
How Cold Press Juicers Work?
Cold press juicers refer to appliances that use a cold press to extract fresh juice from fruit and vegetables, rather than using other techniques such as mechanical juicers, centrifugal juicers, or even an electric juicer.
Some of the newer cold juicers use high-end industrial presses that are made from stainless steel, or other sturdy materials, and use a hand pump to move food through the blades.
A cold press juicer works by separating juice from fruit and vegetable fibers while preserving their nutrients and vital enzymes. What you have is a living juice that tastes better and has a longer shelf life.
Juicers are more efficient at extraction, which means a higher yield is obtained.
Verdict
From the slow masticating juicers to the twin gear juicers and the cold press juicers, the best juicers, in any case, are those which extract juices slowly. They provide higher juice yield and preserve nutrients but come at a higher price. Regular, fast juicers kill off all of the essential nutrients (especially those that are sensitive to heat) that your body needs.