Beetroot Juice Powder vs Whole Beetroot Powder
Beetroot juice powder and whole beetroot powder sound alike, but they start from different parts of the beet and end up as quite different products.
How beetroot juice powder is made
Beetroots are pressed for juice and the pulp is removed. The juice is then dried, very often by spray-drying, where it is misted into hot air. To stop the sugary juice going sticky, it is commonly dried onto a carrier such as maltodextrin. Check the ingredient list: if there is a second ingredient, that is usually it.
How whole beetroot powder is made
Whole beetroots are sliced, dried and milled. Nothing is pressed out and nothing needs to be added. Ours is air-dried slowly at low temperature, then milled, and its only ingredient is beetroot. Because the whole root is kept, so is the fibre: our nutrition panel shows 20 g of dietary fibre per 100 g.
And beetroot extract?
An extract is concentrated, usually for capsules, and is often labelled with a ratio such as 10:1, meaning ten parts of beetroot went into one part of extract. Some extracts are standardised to a particular compound. They are a different product again from a food powder you scoop.
Beetroot juice powder vs whole powder at a glance
| Juice powder | Whole beetroot powder | Extract | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starts as | Pressed juice | The whole root | Concentrated beetroot |
| Fibre | Mostly removed with the pulp | Kept (20 g per 100 g in ours) | Varies |
| Common extras | Carrier such as maltodextrin | None in ours | Capsule shell, excipients |
| Texture | Dissolves fully | Fine powder, fibre can settle | Usually in capsules |
Which should you buy?
If you want something that dissolves completely in water, a juice powder does that, so check how much of the jar is carrier. If you want the whole vegetable with nothing added, choose a whole beetroot powder. Give ours a stir or a quick blend and the fibre stays suspended. More on the drying process in air-dried beetroot powder.