What Is the Difference Between 71°Brix and 75°Brix Fruit Concentrate?

If you work with fruit juice concentrates, you have probably come across specifications such as 71°Brix, 75°Brix or 79°Brix. These figures appear on every technical data sheet, yet they are often treated as a simple product code rather than as a formulation parameter.

But what does Brix actually mean, and why does it matter when choosing an ingredient? For food and beverage manufacturers, the answer has a direct impact on dosage, water balance, cost per kilo of soluble solids and final product consistency.

What Does °Brix Mean?

Brix indicates the concentration of soluble solids in a product. It is measured with a refractometer and expressed in degrees Brix (°Bx).

In simple terms:

• 71°Brix = approximately 71% soluble solids
• 75°Brix = approximately 75% soluble solids
• 79°Brix = approximately 79% soluble solids

The higher the Brix, the more concentrated the product and the lower its water content. A 79°Brix concentrate therefore carries roughly 21% water, while a 71°Brix concentrate carries around 29%.

Why Does the Difference Matter?

The Brix level directly affects the quantity of concentrate required in a formulation. Two concentrates from the same fruit are not interchangeable on a kilogram-for-kilogram basis.

For example, if a recipe requires 75 kg of soluble solids:

• With a 75°Brix concentrate: 100 kg of concentrate
• With a 71°Brix concentrate: 105.6 kg of concentrate

Using a 71°Brix concentrate therefore requires more product to deliver the same amount of soluble solids. It also introduces slightly more water into the formulation, which can be relevant depending on the application — for instance in a bakery filling, a cereal bar binder or a high-solids sauce where free water influences texture, water activity and shelf life.

This also explains why price comparisons between suppliers should be made per kilo of soluble solids, not simply per kilo of product. A lower price on a lower-Brix concentrate is not automatically a better deal.

Does a Higher Brix Mean a Sweeter Concentrate?

Not necessarily.

Brix measures soluble solids, not sweetness. Soluble solids include sugars, but also acids, minerals, pectins and other dissolved compounds naturally present in the fruit. The actual perceived sweetness depends on the fruit itself and on its natural sugar composition — the balance between fructose, glucose and sucrose — as well as on acidity, which modulates sweetness perception.

A date juice concentrate and a prune juice concentrate at comparable Brix levels will not taste the same, nor will they behave identically in an application. This is why Brix should always be considered alongside other parameters such as sugar profile, acidity, flavour and colour.

Which Brix Should You Choose?

There is no universally better Brix. The right specification depends on the fruit, the application and the role the ingredient needs to play in the formulation.

For example, at Solufruit, our prune, fig and grape juice concentrates are available at 71°Brix, while our date juice concentrates are available at 75°Brix and 79°Brix.

A few practical guidelines:

• Higher Brix is generally preferred when water addition must be minimised, when microbiological stability relies on low water activity, or when transport and storage efficiency matter.
• Lower Brix can be easier to handle and dose, since viscosity increases significantly as Brix rises.
• In all cases, the important point is to adjust the dosage according to the Brix rather than replacing one concentrate with another one-for-one.

Brix Is Only One Part of the Equation

When comparing fruit concentrates, buyers and R&D teams should also consider:

• fruit origin and variety;
• sugar profile;
• acidity and pH;
• colour and flavour;
• microbiological specifications;
• shelf life and storage conditions;
• processing method;
• packaging and logistics.

Two concentrates with the same Brix are not necessarily equivalent. The specification sheet defines a framework; the performance of the ingredient in your process defines the result.

Choosing the Right Fruit Concentrate for Your Formulation

Understanding Brix is the starting point for any serious comparison between fruit juice concentrates. It tells you how much soluble solids you are actually buying, how much water you are bringing into your recipe, and how the dosage must be adapted when you switch from one specification to another.

At Solufruit, we help food manufacturers select the right fruit concentrate according to their formulation, process and technical requirements — from first sample to industrial scale-up.

Looking for the right fruit ingredient for your application? Get in touch with our team.