> > > why are canned peaches packed in pear juice?
> > >
> > >
> > > i've thought that perhaps this is done because the flavour of peach juice would be too strong. However, I recently came across an ocean spray product which mixed peach juice and lime juice or something like that, and it was really quite good. besides you could always dilute the peach juice, or just pack them in water and claim it was in its own juice, and the peaches would taste more like peaches maybe?
> > >
> > > other possible reasons i came up with include the cost of peach juice being too high, or not being able to extract it from peaches, or strange chemical things happening.
> > >
> > > also, is this practice of packing canned peaches in pear juice common in other countries besides the United States?
> > >
> > > does anybody really know for sure?
> >
> > Gosh, I don't know, Doc. I wasn't even aware that they used pear juice. I know that a touch of lemon or lime juice will make almost anything taste better. Maybe pear juice is just a flavor enhanser. Maybe they tried apple juice and it didn't work. I guess cranberry juice would mess up the peachy color. I'll bet water would work and it would be cheaper. Who would ever notice? Do you always worry about things like that?
> > Howard
>
>
> Not really, but I was having some peaches and chatting on RinkChat and I thought I'd ask.
>
> I kind of doubt it about the flavour enhancer thing, because canned peaches taste nothing like fresh ones...
>
> But what I'd really like is somebody who knew the answer authoritatively, or at least found it in a FAQ or a book or a web page somewhere.
>
> Dr "if you don't ask questions how will you learn" Locke

An authoritative answer?? Well, I think you'd best write directly to Morning Star, or to whichever company makes the brand of canned peaches that you've been munching on. I confess I've never even heard of the practise of canning peaches in pear juice. That could be because I live in Canada, though. All the canned peaches we get off the shelf come packed in "light syrup" (i.e. 30% sugar solution).

If you want a quick and dirty guess, however, I would hazard that it's because actual peach juice is highly opaque. Marketeers figure it wouldn't look as appetizing sloshing inside the can. There might also be the problem of excessive oxidation (darkening) of the juice. Also, I know that both peaches and pears can be processed using very similar canning methods, so perhaps the manufacturers had the idea of siphoning off the excess pear juice (from the pear-canning process) and using it to pack the peaches. But is the *pear juice* in your peach product opaque like peach juice?? I have no experience with that arrangement.

Anyway, instead of using sugar syrup to preserve the canned fruit -- and add unnecessary calories! -- they could simply dip the peaches in a fruit juice containing high Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) to help keep the natural colour and flavour, and prevent dark discoloration. Pear juice is not particularly high in ascorbic acid, though. More suitable fruit juices would be orange, lemon, pineapple (diluted half strength with water), white grape, or cranberry with added Vitamin C. I think the white grape juice might be the best choice here. Grape juice is clear, and citric and pineapple juices unfortunately will mask the natural peach flavour and give an overly tart taste.

Wolf "my 2¢'s worth of musing on this canny clingstone subject" spirit