Key difference: Juice is the liquid part of the fruit. Syrup is a sweet sauce made by dissolving sugar in boiling water.

Juice and syrup are completely different things, however they both come from fruits or in fruit flavors which is probably the main reason for the confusion. Juice is essentially the liquid component of fruits and vegetables.

The word ‘juice’ is derived from the Latin word ‘jus’. It is the liquid that we obtain when we crush a fruit. The process involves crushing the fruit, from which we get the pulp of the fruit. The pulp is then further crushed and strained, which results in the fruit juice. The juice contains all the sugars and nutrients from the original fruit or vegetable, but practically none of the fiber. Juice has become a popular accompaniment to breakfast.

Syrup, on the other hand, which comes from the Latin sirupus, is a sweet sauce made by dissolving artificial sugars in boiling water. It can also be made by reducing naturally sweet juices such as cane juice, sorghum juice, or maple sap. Syrups are often used to preserve fruit.

Syrups are not really recommended for daily use as they have high sugar content and lack the essential nutrients that are normally present in juices. To offset this, many manufactures have taken to producing sugar-free syrups, which use sugar substitutes such as glycerol and sorbitol in place of regular sugar. Manufactures have also started adding artificial nutrients to their syrups, so that they may be promoted as healthy.

Syrups generally have a longer shelf life than juices, as unlike juices they tend to contain preservatives. However, many juices available commercially also tend to have some preservatives, which aim to increase their shelf life. Still, these commercial juices are considered to be inferior to fresh juices, which is why many health conscious people opt to make juices fresh at home.

In summation, the basic difference between juice and syrup is that juice is a fruit or vegetable’s natural pulp in liquid form, whereas syrup is a sugar solution. It can also be said that syrup is a processed form of fruit, whereas juice is not.

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