Food Fight: Fresh Lemon Juice v. Bottled Lemon

Here we consider whether bottled lemon juice is as good as the real thing. Interested in improving your knowledge in nutrition? Explore our different nutrition courses to gain nutrition expertise.

Let’s look at some stats:

Here are some highlights:

• Both are very low in calories and fat.
• They are both good sources of vitamin C, folate and potassium.
• Fresh lemon juice contains significantly more vitamin C than bottled lemon juice.

OUR WINNER: Fresh Lemon Juice!

Both are low in calories and fat and high in vitamin C, folate and potassium. However, if you’ve ever tasted bottled lemon juice, you’ll notice that the flavour is a little off – not bright and lemony like the real stuff. This is because bottled lemon juice usually contains additives and preservatives such as Sodium Metabisulphite (E223) or Potassium Metabisulphite (E224).

Metabisulphites are used to preserve the natural colour of food and protect food against bacteria. They are commonly used in wine and beer making. Potassium metabisulphite is generally preferred out of the two as it does not contribute sodium to the diet. Both are classed as allergens as they may cause allergic reactions in those who are sensitive to sulphites. If, after consuming metabisulphites, you experience difficulty breathing, swelling of your extremities, difficulty swallowing or a rash or welts on your skin, you should immediately stop consuming all products that contain this substance and seek medical attention.

So our advice is to stick with squeezing fresh lemons. To have lemon juice on hand at any time without having to keep buying fresh lemons, squeeze a bunch of lemons and freeze the juice in ice cube trays to use as needed.

Interested in improving your knowledge in nutrition? Explore our different online nutrition courses to gain nutrition expertise.