Juice is clear, while cider is dark and cloudy.
Most people are confused by the difference between cider and juice. There exists a wide variety of both cider and juice and it is important to know distinguish them because they have very different shelf lives, which means they are not stored in the same manner. Both cider and juice have high nutritional value when made with 100 percent real fruits but, one is not necessarily of higher quality than the other.
Appearance
You can spot the difference between cider and juice simply by looking at it. Cider is darker and cloudier than juice is. It is the difference in the processes used to make both cider and juice that gives them different appearances. Cider contains more particles than juice and is not filtered as much, which creates its murky, almost thicker appearance. When buying commercial juices, you may also notice that the color is different from juices made at home. This is because commercially produced juices are filtered several more times than what you could on your own.
Vaccum sealed
Even though both cider and juice are made from fruits, they are processed differently. Cider is the unprocessed liquid obtained from mashed fruits. Cider needs to be pasteurized to be safe. Otherwise, it can contain bacteria or fungi that make it go bad faster or give you food poisoning. When making cider at home, you need to add a preservative. Juice is a filtered version of the liquid obtained to create cider. The filtration process removes the coarse particles from the pulp and other fruit sediments. Commercially produced juices are then vacuum sealed to extend their shelf life.
Shelf Life
Juice generally has a longer shelf life than cider. This is because cider contains the pulp of mashed fruits, which makes the liquid perishable, while pasteurized juice devoid of pulp and sediments stays good for several weeks or even months. Cider needs to be store in a refrigerator and can be kept for up to two weeks. Cider and juice can also be frozen, but be sure to leave space in the container for expansion during freezing.
Naming
In the United States, cider refers mostly to the unprocessed liquid obtained from apples. In other countries such as England and Australia, cider refers most often to an alcoholic drink also made from apples. In those countries where cider is an alcoholic beverage, it is then sometimes classified as hard or soft cider, depending on the alcohol content.
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