Pink grapefruit more nutritious

Pink grapefruit juice has more nutritional benefits per calorie than other common fruit juices, a new study has found.

Orange juice was rated in second place ahead of white grapefruit, pineapple, prune, grape and apple.

Research co-funded by the University of Florida and the state Department of Citrus found that both pink grapefruit and orange juice topped their apple, grape, pineapple and prune counterparts for vitamin C, potassium and folate content, and matched or exceeded levels of vitamin A, thiamn and phosperous.

The nutrient-density study gives the Florida citrus industry another marketing tool to help reverse the fall in the consumption of citrus juices.

Gail Rampersaud of the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences used six different methods to rank the juices.

The researchers said the study did not include cranberry juice because it is typically sold in a juice blend or at less than full strength and tomato juice was omitted as it is marketed as a vegetable juice.

Andrew Meadows at the Citrus Department in Lakeland said the results of the study will be used as part of future marketing activities. “We’re going to leverage it as much as possible,” he added. “It gives us some credible ammunition.”