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Squash (drink)
Encyclopedia
Squash is a non-alcoholic concentrate
d syrup
that is usually fruit-flavoured
and usually made from fruit juice
, water, and sugar
or a sugar substitute. Modern squashes may also contain food colouring
and additional flavouring. Some traditional squashes contain herbal extract
s, most notably elderflower and ginger
.
Squash must be mixed with a certain amount of water or club soda
before drinking. As a drink mixer
, it may be combined with an alcoholic beverage
to prepare a cocktail
(see preparation).
Citrus fruits
(particularly orange
, lime
and lemon
) or a blend of fruits and berries are commonly used as the base of squash. Popular blends are apple with blackcurrant
, raspberry with pomegranate
, and orange or peach with mango
. Less popular single-fruit squashes are also produced, such as pineapple, pomegranate, raspberry, and strawberry.
Traditional squashes are usually flavoured with ginger
, chokeberries (often with spices added), elderflower
, and sometimes orange or lemon.
Squash commands a large share of the fruit juices and soft drink
s market.
Squash is popular in the United Kingdom
, Malta
, Pakistan
, Ireland
, India
, Scandinavia
, South Africa
, Kenya
, Australia
, Israel
, New Zealand
, and Hong Kong
.
It is generally not available in the United States. When it is available there, it is quite expensive. Some Americans make it at home. This process involves boiling water and sugar together on a low heat, and straining juice or infusing plant extract, and adding lemon juice or citric acid.
or still). It is usually combined with cold water, but old-fashioned cordials are often combined with warm water.
Double-strength squash and traditional cordials, which are thicker, are made with one part concentrate and twelve parts water. Some squash concentrates are quite weak, and these are sometimes mixed with one part concentrate and two or three parts water.
In convenience stores and supermarkets, ready-diluted squash is sold in cans, cartons, and plastic bottles.
Diluted squash is often used as a base for making cocktail
s, or as flavouring or a sweetener. Gin can be mixed with diluted squash to produce a cocktail similar to a gin and juice.
or in very old-fashioned cordials lemon juice
, or even spices such as cinnamon or cloves. Recreations of these traditional preparations often contain a preservative
especially sulphur dioxide, although sugar alone will keep it fresh for quite a long time. Modern squash drinks are generally more complex and sugar free squash even more so; the ingredients are usually water, sweetener such as aspartame or sodium saccharin, juice in a low quantity (typically 5-10 percent), large quantities of flavouring, preservatives and sometimes a colour such as anthocyanin. In the middle are ordinary squashes, which contain sugar, water, a larger amount of juice, preservatives, colouring such as anthocyanin and often a small amount of flavouring. Although colours such as Allura Red AC
and Sunset Yellow FCF
are occasionally used in squash, most modern British companies are gradually aiming to use natural colours such as beta carotene or anthocyanins, and natural flavourings.
Modern squashes usually have simpler flavours, such as orange, apple, summer fruit (mixed berries), blackcurrant, apple and blackcurrant, orange, peach, pineapple, mango, lime, or lemon.
squashes, usually sweetened with one or more of aspartame
, acesulfame K, saccharin
and sucralose
. They are very low in calories, sometimes having as few as 4 per 100ml diluted, and their target audience is children because of their commonly believed health benefits. They are marketed towards children and families, but they also are consumed, but less commonly, by adults, particularly ones seeking healthier diet
s, hence the term "diet", wanting to lose weight or "weaning themselves off" sweetness. They tend to be very low in fruit juice, around 5-10% or less and instead flavoured with cheap, low calorie synthetic flavouring (isoamyl acetate
for pear or banana, or mixed with malic acid
to make an apple-like flavour, ethyl methylphenylglycidate
for strawberry, octyl acetate
for orange, allyl hexanoate
for pineapple etc.) although most nowadays contain natural flavourings, instead of juice, as they aim to contain as little sugar as possible and juice contains natural fructose (fruit sugars) which despite being natural are still sugars.
with vitamin C, although children need fibre because they do not usually have enough in their diets, and squashes provide little to none. For children who need fibre and vitamin
s, pure juices and smoothie
s are a much healthier option because they provide fibre, vitamins and portions of fruit, although they contain natural sugars, which despite being natural are still sugars, and so contain more calories which most children have too much of in their diets. The prevalence of obesity
among modern children has made low-energy beverages a more favoured option for children. Additionally, high energy drinks have been linked to hyperactivity in children, particularly young ones, those who consume little fibre, which slows release of energy, and those who do not exercise. However, parents should not think that only giving these squashes will eliminate it completely, because the Feingold diet
which is supposed to reduce it eliminates such sweeteners, especially aspartame which is one of the most common sweeteners in squash, and the preservative sodium benzoate which is widely used in soft drinks and squashes, and because this may just be because of additives such as sodium benzoate
in the drinks, and caffeine in energy drinks, which children do not tolerate as well as adults, as opposed to sugar as most people believe.
Modern children, especially those brought up poorly, tend to have an overload of sugars in their diets, so pleasant tasting healthy drinks have been introduced. They are also recommended by dentists, as they have a lower tooth decay risk than ordinary squash, because they do not contain sugars that encourage the growth of bacteria in the mouth
. As well, they are more suitable for people with diabetes as they do not raise blood sugar as much as ordinary squashes do because there is less sugar in. Although moderate amounts of sugars are important for release of energy and for balance of blood sugar, and despite the GDA (guideline daily amount) for an active 5-10 year old child is 85g sugars, between five and six imperial tablespoon measurements, because of popular beliefs about children's health and because of squash advertising, such as an idealising image of a young child picking fruit on the Robinson's labels, and behind-the-label idealising phrases such as "only natural colours and flavours, making it a perfect choice for your family", behind the label coupons for entertainment, prizes, etc, eg. cinema tickets, football or other sport match tickets, theme park visits or and Jucee squash bottles featuring "fruity fun" games and brain puzzles to popularise squash with children, low-sugar, low-juice squashes are usually the squashes served in schools as part of school dinner
s, and as part of after-school snacks made by parents. They make up a largish part of the beverage diets of children in the UK, besides fizzy drink
s, sweetened juice-based drinks such as cranberry
drink and pulp-free concentrated fruit juices (usually served at breakfast). At parties, play dates, picnics, day care centres, preschools and excursions, low-sugar squashes are usually the only options served to children alongside plain water, and UK family pantries often only contain low-sugar squash. Often when a fruit flavoured drink is served to a young child, other than milk or water, and called "juice" it is in fact usually a cheap low-sugar low-juice squash and very rarely a pure juice. There are several known risks in these practices, such as increasing the risk of phenylketonuria later in childhood if sweetened with aspartame. Also, sweeteners are banned in all foods and beverages for under-threes, but many parents still serve these drinks to young children because they do not know this fact, and because they tend not to check ingredient lists. Also, squashes are not specifically designed for young children.
, which can cause health problems for those suffering from phenylketonuria
, who make up around 1 in 15000 of the world's population. For people with PKU, sugar-free squash is either extensively diluted or not served. Also, consumption of large quantities of aspartame-sweetened squash can increase the risk of having PKU later in childhood and/or adolescence. Many people, even the parents and carers of people with phenylketonuria, still serve low-sugar squash because of its believed health benefits, not taking these problems into account. To combat these problems and to make sugar-free squashes less of a concern for people with these problems, squash companies have started using "safe" sweeteners such as sodium saccharin, acesulfame K and sucralose. However, many do not care or realise, so they still put aspartame in their drinks because it is cheap and most people with phenylketonuria would look on the labels.
(under the Robinsons
brand), Pakistan
i manufacturer Hamdard (under the name of Rooh Afza
and MiWadi
brands), Nichols (under the Vimto
brand), GlaxoSmithKline
(under the Ribena
brand) and Coca-Cola
(under the Kia-Ora
brand). Australian brands include Cottees, Bickford's
, P&N Beverages and Golden Circle cordials. Indian brands include Kissan and Rasna. In Israel, fruit squashes are produced by such companies as Assis, Prigat
and Primor.
s, word scrambling etc., tickets to experiences such as film tickets, football or other sport match tickets, weekend breaks, new film releases or theme park trips, or idealising phrases such as "the taste of real fruit" or "no artificial colours or flavours, making it the perfect choice for your family" or other similar phrases. These phrases, although rarely completely true, are very convincing to customers and are likely to cause more people to buy the product.
Concentrate
A concentrate is a form of substance which has had the majority of its base component removed. Typically this will be the removal of water from a solution or suspension such as the removal of water from fruit juice...
d syrup
Syrup
In cooking, a syrup is a thick, viscous liquid consisting primarily of a solution of sugar in water, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars but showing little tendency to deposit crystals...
that is usually fruit-flavoured
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
and usually made from fruit juice
Juice
Juice is the liquid that is naturally contained in fruit or vegetable tissue.Juice is prepared by mechanically squeezing or macerating fruit or vegetable flesh without the application of heat or solvents. For example, orange juice is the liquid extract of the fruit of the orange tree...
, water, and sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
or a sugar substitute. Modern squashes may also contain food colouring
Food coloring
Food coloring is a substance, liquid or powder, that is added to food or drink to change its color. Food coloring is used both in commercial food production and in domestic cooking...
and additional flavouring. Some traditional squashes contain herbal extract
Herbal extract
Tincture is a liquid solution of herbs and a fluid menstruum, usually ethanol. The dried or fresh herbs are combined with alcohol, then the solid matter is removed leaving only the oils of the herbs mixed with the alcohol...
s, most notably elderflower and ginger
Ginger
Ginger is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family . Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and galangal....
.
Squash must be mixed with a certain amount of water or club soda
Carbonated water
Carbonated water is water into which carbon dioxide gas under pressure has been dissolved, a process that causes the water to become effervescent....
before drinking. As a drink mixer
Drink mixer
Drink mixers are the non-alcoholic ingredients in mixed drinks and cocktails. There are many reasons mixers are used. They change or enhance flavors or add new ones to a drink. Mixers dilute the drink, lowering the alcohol by volume in the drink. They may make the drink sweeter, more sour, or more...
, it may be combined with an alcoholic beverage
Alcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
to prepare a cocktail
Cocktail
A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink that contains two or more ingredients—at least one of the ingredients must be a spirit.Cocktails were originally a mixture of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. The word has come to mean almost any mixed drink that contains alcohol...
(see preparation).
Citrus fruits
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
(particularly orange
Orange (fruit)
An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....
, lime
Lime (fruit)
Lime is a term referring to a number of different citrus fruits, both species and hybrids, which are typically round, green to yellow in color, 3–6 cm in diameter, and containing sour and acidic pulp. Limes are a good source of vitamin C. Limes are often used to accent the flavors of foods and...
and lemon
Lemon
The lemon is both a small evergreen tree native to Asia, and the tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world – primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used, mainly in cooking and baking...
) or a blend of fruits and berries are commonly used as the base of squash. Popular blends are apple with blackcurrant
Blackcurrant
Blackcurrant, Ribes nigrum, is a species of Ribes berry native to central and northern Europe and northern Asia, and is a perennial....
, raspberry with pomegranate
Pomegranate
The pomegranate , Punica granatum, is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub or small tree growing between five and eight meters tall.Native to the area of modern day Iran, the pomegranate has been cultivated in the Caucasus since ancient times. From there it spread to Asian areas such as the Caucasus as...
, and orange or peach with mango
Mango
The mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world. It is also the most cultivated fruit of the tropical world. While...
. Less popular single-fruit squashes are also produced, such as pineapple, pomegranate, raspberry, and strawberry.
Traditional squashes are usually flavoured with ginger
Ginger
Ginger is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family . Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and galangal....
, chokeberries (often with spices added), elderflower
Elderflower cordial
Elderflower cordial is a soft drink made largely from a refined sugar and water solution and uses the flowers of the elderberry, also called the sambucus nigra...
, and sometimes orange or lemon.
Squash commands a large share of the fruit juices and soft drink
Soft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
s market.
Squash is popular in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.
It is generally not available in the United States. When it is available there, it is quite expensive. Some Americans make it at home. This process involves boiling water and sugar together on a low heat, and straining juice or infusing plant extract, and adding lemon juice or citric acid.
Preparation
Squash is prepared by combining one part concentrate with four or five parts water (carbonatedCarbonated water
Carbonated water is water into which carbon dioxide gas under pressure has been dissolved, a process that causes the water to become effervescent....
or still). It is usually combined with cold water, but old-fashioned cordials are often combined with warm water.
Double-strength squash and traditional cordials, which are thicker, are made with one part concentrate and twelve parts water. Some squash concentrates are quite weak, and these are sometimes mixed with one part concentrate and two or three parts water.
In convenience stores and supermarkets, ready-diluted squash is sold in cans, cartons, and plastic bottles.
Diluted squash is often used as a base for making cocktail
Cocktail
A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink that contains two or more ingredients—at least one of the ingredients must be a spirit.Cocktails were originally a mixture of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. The word has come to mean almost any mixed drink that contains alcohol...
s, or as flavouring or a sweetener. Gin can be mixed with diluted squash to produce a cocktail similar to a gin and juice.
Serving
When ordering squash in restaurants, people are often asked by their server whether they would like it "strong" or "weak". It is commonly served cold, often with ice, but, especially with traditional cordials, is often served warm in winter, just as tea or coffee would be. The most common squash to be served warm was spiced berry, a type that has almost gone out of fashion but is still made by some companies specialising in traditional cordials. However, the market for spiced berry cordial has recently been taken over by cheaper companies manufacturing modern flavours of squash such as lemon, orange & apple and blackcurrant squash.Storage
Most cordials and squashes contain preservatives such as potassium sorbate or (in traditional cordials) sulphites, as they are designed to be kept on the shelves. They keep well because of their high sugar content. However, they are commonly kept in refrigerators with the belief that refrigeration keeps them fresh longer, but squashes that are refrigerated are more likely to take in strong odours from the surroundings and lose flavour.Ingredients
Ingredients in squashes and cordials have evolved over the years. A traditional cordial contains three ingredients: sugar, juice or plant extract and some water. Usually it can contain an acidifier such as citric acidCitric acid
Citric acid is a weak organic acid. It is a natural preservative/conservative and is also used to add an acidic, or sour, taste to foods and soft drinks...
or in very old-fashioned cordials lemon juice
Lemon juice
The lemon fruit, from a citrus plant, provides a useful liquid when squeezed. Lemon juice, either in natural strength or concentrated, is sold as a bottled product, usually with the addition of preservatives and a small amount of lemon oil.-Uses:...
, or even spices such as cinnamon or cloves. Recreations of these traditional preparations often contain a preservative
Preservative
A preservative is a naturally occurring or synthetically produced substance that is added to products such as foods, pharmaceuticals, paints, biological samples, wood, etc. to prevent decomposition by microbial growth or by undesirable chemical changes....
especially sulphur dioxide, although sugar alone will keep it fresh for quite a long time. Modern squash drinks are generally more complex and sugar free squash even more so; the ingredients are usually water, sweetener such as aspartame or sodium saccharin, juice in a low quantity (typically 5-10 percent), large quantities of flavouring, preservatives and sometimes a colour such as anthocyanin. In the middle are ordinary squashes, which contain sugar, water, a larger amount of juice, preservatives, colouring such as anthocyanin and often a small amount of flavouring. Although colours such as Allura Red AC
Allura Red AC
Allura Red AC is a red azo dye that goes by several names including: Allura Red, Food Red 17, C.I. 16035, FD&C Red 40, 2-naphthalenesulfonic acid, 6-hydroxy-5--, disodium salt, and disodium 6-hydroxy-5--2-naphthalenesulfonate. It is used as a food dye and has the E number E129...
and Sunset Yellow FCF
Sunset Yellow FCF
Sunset Yellow FCF is a synthetic yellow azo dye, manufactured from aromatic hydrocarbons from petroleum. When added to foods, it is denoted by E Number E110...
are occasionally used in squash, most modern British companies are gradually aiming to use natural colours such as beta carotene or anthocyanins, and natural flavourings.
Flavourings
Traditional squashes may be flavoured with elderflowers, lemon, pomegranate, apple, strawberry, chokeberry (often with spices such as cinnamon or cloves added), orange, pear, or raspberry.Modern squashes usually have simpler flavours, such as orange, apple, summer fruit (mixed berries), blackcurrant, apple and blackcurrant, orange, peach, pineapple, mango, lime, or lemon.
Terminology
"Cordial" and "squash" are similar, although the products known as cordials tend to be thicker and stronger, requiring less syrup and more water to be blended. "High juice" is not a brand of squash, but it is a type that contains a larger amount of juice, around 45%. Squash is often colloquially known as "juice", especially when talking to young children because they may get confused by the term "squash", but this term is a misnomer; no squash is pure juice. If they are not called "juice" when talking to children, it is commonly known as the fruit which it comes from, or more rarely, "fruit drink" especially if it is ready-diluted in a plastic bottle or a paper carton. Drinks called the latter include products like Fruit Shoot, which aims to have a similar flavour to squash while being ready to drink.Fruit juice content
Squashes are measured by their juice content, the average being 30%. A variety of squash that contains a larger amount of fruit juice, up to half or more of the volume in juice, is sold in markets as "high juice", and squashes are quite often called "juice" when talking to children, especially these high-juice beverages, although this may be confusing. However, many squashes contain less than 20% juice, and some as little as 5-10%. The latter are typically low in nutritional value, and the high juice versions are reasonably higher in nutrients, although one downside is that it is high in sugar and does not contain fibre or minor nutrients. That goes with almost all squashes. A low juice squash may state "with real fruit juice" on the label.Low-sugar squashes
"No added sugar" squashes, such as Robinsons No Added Sugar, are often manufactured for the healthy food and beverage market, alongside traditional cordials and plain squashes. They are chemically sweetenedSugar substitute
A sugar substitute is a food additive that duplicates the effect of sugar in taste, usually with less food energy. Some sugar substitutes are natural and some are synthetic. Those that are not natural are, in general, called artificial sweeteners....
squashes, usually sweetened with one or more of aspartame
Aspartame
Aspartame is an artificial, non-saccharide sweetener used as a sugar substitute in some foods and beverages. In the European Union, it is codified as E951. Aspartame is a methyl ester of the aspartic acid/phenylalanine dipeptide. It was first sold under the brand name NutraSweet; since 2009 it...
, acesulfame K, saccharin
Saccharin
Saccharin is an artificial sweetener. The basic substance, benzoic sulfilimine, has effectively no food energy and is much sweeter than sucrose, but has a bitter or metallic aftertaste, especially at high concentrations...
and sucralose
Sucralose
Sucralose is an artificial sweetener. The majority of ingested sucralose is not broken down by the body and therefore it is non-caloric. In the European Union, it is also known under the E number E955. Sucralose is approximately 600 times as sweet as sucrose , twice as sweet as saccharin, and 3.3...
. They are very low in calories, sometimes having as few as 4 per 100ml diluted, and their target audience is children because of their commonly believed health benefits. They are marketed towards children and families, but they also are consumed, but less commonly, by adults, particularly ones seeking healthier diet
Diet
Diet, in relation to food, might mean:*Diet , the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group*Dieting, the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake*Diet food, foods that aid in dieting...
s, hence the term "diet", wanting to lose weight or "weaning themselves off" sweetness. They tend to be very low in fruit juice, around 5-10% or less and instead flavoured with cheap, low calorie synthetic flavouring (isoamyl acetate
Isoamyl acetate
Isoamyl acetate, also known as isopentyl acetate, is an organic compound that is the ester formed from isoamyl alcohol and acetic acid. It is a colorless liquid that is only slightly soluble in water, but very soluble in most organic solvents...
for pear or banana, or mixed with malic acid
Malic acid
Malic acid is an organic compound with the formula HO2CCH2CHOHCO2H. It is a dicarboxylic acid which is made by all living organisms, contributes to the pleasantly sour taste of fruits, and is used as a food additive. Malic acid has two stereoisomeric forms , though only the L-isomer exists...
to make an apple-like flavour, ethyl methylphenylglycidate
Ethyl methylphenylglycidate
Ethyl methylphenylglycidate, commonly known as "strawberry aldehyde", is an organic compound used in the flavor industry in artificial fruit flavors, in particular strawberry.-Uses:...
for strawberry, octyl acetate
Octyl acetate
Octyl acetate, or octyl ethanoate, is an ester that is formed from octanol and acetic acid.Octyl acetate can be synthesized by a condensation reaction:-Use:...
for orange, allyl hexanoate
Allyl hexanoate
Allyl hexanoate is a colorless to pale yellow clear liquid.-Uses:Allyl hexanoate is employed principally in the formulation of pineapple flavors but it can also be used for peach and apricot essences and for apple blossom, peach blossom, and wisteria perfume compositions. Allyl caproate is an...
for pineapple etc.) although most nowadays contain natural flavourings, instead of juice, as they aim to contain as little sugar as possible and juice contains natural fructose (fruit sugars) which despite being natural are still sugars.
Advantages
Squashes with no added sugar are low in sugar, and so have a number of advantages. One is that they are considered a "healthier" choice for children because of the low sugar content, and sometimes they are fortified with a blend of vitamins or minerals, such as RibenaRibena
Ribena is a British brand of fruit-based uncarbonated soft drink, carbonated soft drink and fruit drink concentrate produced by GlaxoSmithKline. The original and most common variety contains real blackcurrant juice.- History :...
with vitamin C, although children need fibre because they do not usually have enough in their diets, and squashes provide little to none. For children who need fibre and vitamin
Vitamin
A vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in tiny amounts by an organism. In other words, an organic chemical compound is called a vitamin when it cannot be synthesized in sufficient quantities by an organism, and must be obtained from the diet. Thus, the term is conditional both on...
s, pure juices and smoothie
Smoothie
A smoothie is a blended and sometimes sweetened beverage made from fresh fruit and in special cases can contain chocolate or peanut butter. In addition to fruit, many smoothies include crushed ice, frozen fruit, honey or contain syrup and ice ingredients...
s are a much healthier option because they provide fibre, vitamins and portions of fruit, although they contain natural sugars, which despite being natural are still sugars, and so contain more calories which most children have too much of in their diets. The prevalence of obesity
Obesity
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
among modern children has made low-energy beverages a more favoured option for children. Additionally, high energy drinks have been linked to hyperactivity in children, particularly young ones, those who consume little fibre, which slows release of energy, and those who do not exercise. However, parents should not think that only giving these squashes will eliminate it completely, because the Feingold diet
Feingold diet
The Feingold diet is a food elimination program developed by Ben F. Feingold, MD to treat hyperactivity. It eliminates a number of artificial colors and artificial flavors, aspartame, three petroleum-based preservatives, and certain salicylates. There has been much debate about the efficacy of...
which is supposed to reduce it eliminates such sweeteners, especially aspartame which is one of the most common sweeteners in squash, and the preservative sodium benzoate which is widely used in soft drinks and squashes, and because this may just be because of additives such as sodium benzoate
Sodium benzoate
Sodium benzoate has the chemical formula NaC6H5CO2; it is a widely used food preservative, with E number E211. It is the sodium salt of benzoic acid and exists in this form when dissolved in water. It can be produced by reacting sodium hydroxide with benzoic acid.-Uses:Sodium benzoate is a...
in the drinks, and caffeine in energy drinks, which children do not tolerate as well as adults, as opposed to sugar as most people believe.
Modern children, especially those brought up poorly, tend to have an overload of sugars in their diets, so pleasant tasting healthy drinks have been introduced. They are also recommended by dentists, as they have a lower tooth decay risk than ordinary squash, because they do not contain sugars that encourage the growth of bacteria in the mouth
Mouth
The mouth is the first portion of the alimentary canal that receives food andsaliva. The oral mucosa is the mucous membrane epithelium lining the inside of the mouth....
. As well, they are more suitable for people with diabetes as they do not raise blood sugar as much as ordinary squashes do because there is less sugar in. Although moderate amounts of sugars are important for release of energy and for balance of blood sugar, and despite the GDA (guideline daily amount) for an active 5-10 year old child is 85g sugars, between five and six imperial tablespoon measurements, because of popular beliefs about children's health and because of squash advertising, such as an idealising image of a young child picking fruit on the Robinson's labels, and behind-the-label idealising phrases such as "only natural colours and flavours, making it a perfect choice for your family", behind the label coupons for entertainment, prizes, etc, eg. cinema tickets, football or other sport match tickets, theme park visits or and Jucee squash bottles featuring "fruity fun" games and brain puzzles to popularise squash with children, low-sugar, low-juice squashes are usually the squashes served in schools as part of school dinner
School dinner
A school meal is a meal provided to students at a school. It is usually served at sometime around noon; however, many also serve breakfast before classes begin in the mornings....
s, and as part of after-school snacks made by parents. They make up a largish part of the beverage diets of children in the UK, besides fizzy drink
Soft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
s, sweetened juice-based drinks such as cranberry
Cranberry
Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus Oxycoccus of the genus Vaccinium. In some methods of classification, Oxycoccus is regarded as a genus in its own right...
drink and pulp-free concentrated fruit juices (usually served at breakfast). At parties, play dates, picnics, day care centres, preschools and excursions, low-sugar squashes are usually the only options served to children alongside plain water, and UK family pantries often only contain low-sugar squash. Often when a fruit flavoured drink is served to a young child, other than milk or water, and called "juice" it is in fact usually a cheap low-sugar low-juice squash and very rarely a pure juice. There are several known risks in these practices, such as increasing the risk of phenylketonuria later in childhood if sweetened with aspartame. Also, sweeteners are banned in all foods and beverages for under-threes, but many parents still serve these drinks to young children because they do not know this fact, and because they tend not to check ingredient lists. Also, squashes are not specifically designed for young children.
Disadvantages
Low-energy low-sugar squashes have their disadvantages as well. One of the most notable are that they tend to be low in vitamins and fibre, which most children do not get enough of, but that goes with all squashes. Another is that because they are low in juice, they do not provide any of the recommended 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day, which most children do not consume enough of. Another is that they do not provide enough energy for those who exercise regularly, but they are not designed to be served to those people. Another is that recent studies showed that chemical low-calorie sweeteners caused weight gain because their intense sweetness has caused craving of sweetness, regardless of form and source. Also, the GDA (guideline daily amount) for an active child (age 5-10, one of the most common ages for low-sugar squash consumption other than between one and three) is 85g sugars and 1800 calories daily, and low-calorie squashes provide little to none of that. So as more and more children's foods, drinks and vitamin supplements are artificially sweetened, there is a concern whether children will have enough carbohydrates in their diets in the near future. However, the most known and most cared-about disadvantage is that a large proportion of these beverages contain phenylalanine, in the form of aspartameAspartame
Aspartame is an artificial, non-saccharide sweetener used as a sugar substitute in some foods and beverages. In the European Union, it is codified as E951. Aspartame is a methyl ester of the aspartic acid/phenylalanine dipeptide. It was first sold under the brand name NutraSweet; since 2009 it...
, which can cause health problems for those suffering from phenylketonuria
Phenylketonuria
Phenylketonuria is an autosomal recessive metabolic genetic disorder characterized by a mutation in the gene for the hepatic enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase , rendering it nonfunctional. This enzyme is necessary to metabolize the amino acid phenylalanine to the amino acid tyrosine...
, who make up around 1 in 15000 of the world's population. For people with PKU, sugar-free squash is either extensively diluted or not served. Also, consumption of large quantities of aspartame-sweetened squash can increase the risk of having PKU later in childhood and/or adolescence. Many people, even the parents and carers of people with phenylketonuria, still serve low-sugar squash because of its believed health benefits, not taking these problems into account. To combat these problems and to make sugar-free squashes less of a concern for people with these problems, squash companies have started using "safe" sweeteners such as sodium saccharin, acesulfame K and sucralose. However, many do not care or realise, so they still put aspartame in their drinks because it is cheap and most people with phenylketonuria would look on the labels.
World markets
Manufacturers of squash include BritvicBritvic
Britvic plc is a British producer of soft drinks. It is the number two soft drinks producer in the UK. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index...
(under the Robinsons
Robinsons (soft drink)
Robinsons is a British soft drink brand owned by Britvic. Robinsons has a royal warrant from Queen Elizabeth II and was an independent company until 1995 when it was acquired by Britvic. The Robinsons range includes Fruit Shoot, Fruit Squash, No Added Sugar Fruit Squash, Fruit & Barley, Barley...
brand), Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i manufacturer Hamdard (under the name of Rooh Afza
Rooh Afza
Rooh Afza is a concentrated drink. It was formulated by Hakeem Hafiz Abdul Majeed and manufactured by the companies founded by him and his sons, Hamdard Laboratories, India since 1906 and Hamdard Laboratories, Pakistan, since 1948...
and MiWadi
MiWadi
MiWadi is an Irish soft drink brand owned by Britvic, and formerly by Cantrell and Cochrane , bottled in Dublin, Cork and Belfast.Its name comes from the initial letters of C&C's predecessor company, Mineral Water Distributors, which was formed in 1927...
brands), Nichols (under the Vimto
Vimto
Vimto is a soft drink originating from the United Kingdom. It was first manufactured as a health tonic in cordial form, then decades later as a carbonated drink. It contains the juice of grapes, raspberries and blackcurrants , flavoured with herbs and spices...
brand), GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline plc is a global pharmaceutical, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare company headquartered in London, United Kingdom...
(under the Ribena
Ribena
Ribena is a British brand of fruit-based uncarbonated soft drink, carbonated soft drink and fruit drink concentrate produced by GlaxoSmithKline. The original and most common variety contains real blackcurrant juice.- History :...
brand) and Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
(under the Kia-Ora
Kia-Ora
Kia-Ora is a concentrated fruit soft drink brand, owned by Atlantic Industries and licensed for manufacturing in the UK by Coca-Cola Enterprises Ltd.-History:...
brand). Australian brands include Cottees, Bickford's
Bickford's Australia
A. M. Bickford and Sons was one of the first manufacturing chemists in South Australia and until 1930 one of the State's most significant family owned companies. In 1930, they amalgamated with half a dozen other similar Australian companies to form "Drug Houses of Australia" , which very...
, P&N Beverages and Golden Circle cordials. Indian brands include Kissan and Rasna. In Israel, fruit squashes are produced by such companies as Assis, Prigat
Prigat
Prigat is a juice and syrup manufacturer in Israel owned by Gat Foods and Israel Beer Breweries. Prigat's headquarters are located in two kibbutzim, Givat Haim and Givat Haim , near Hadera...
and Primor.
Advertising
Squash companies can use many types of advertising to encourage their products to appeal to customers. These include pictures, such as children picking fruit (picture on Robinson's squash) or anthropomorphic fruit (picture on Ribena), behind-the-label "fruity fun" such as word searches, crossword puzzleCrossword Puzzle
For the common puzzle, see CrosswordCrossword Puzzle was the second to last album made by The Partridge Family and was not one of the most popular albums. It was released in 1973 and did not produce a U.S. single. This album was finally released on CD in 2003 on Arista's BMG Heritage label...
s, word scrambling etc., tickets to experiences such as film tickets, football or other sport match tickets, weekend breaks, new film releases or theme park trips, or idealising phrases such as "the taste of real fruit" or "no artificial colours or flavours, making it the perfect choice for your family" or other similar phrases. These phrases, although rarely completely true, are very convincing to customers and are likely to cause more people to buy the product.
See also
- Elderflower cordialElderflower cordialElderflower cordial is a soft drink made largely from a refined sugar and water solution and uses the flowers of the elderberry, also called the sambucus nigra...
. - Fruit syrupFruit syrupFruit syrup as a food ingredient is a concentrated juice made from a less expensive fruit and used to sweeten more expensive products and to extend their quantity . A typical use would be for an "all-fruit" strawberry spread that contains apple juice as well as strawberries. It is regularly in...
- Nectar (drink)Nectar (drink)Nectars are a type of non-carbonated soft drink made with fruit juice.In some countries, the beverage industry distinguishes nectars from drinks labeled as "juice"...
- Temperance barTemperance BarA temperance bar is one of a number of bars, primarily in Lancashire, England during the 19th century, that did not serve alcoholic beverages.In the late 19th century, a number of such bars were established in conjunction with the Temperance Society...