!44: What is the Difference Between a Masticating Juice Extractor and a Centrifugal Juice Extractor?

!±8± What is the Difference Between a Masticating Juice Extractor and a Centrifugal Juice Extractor?

You will see that there are many brands and models of electric juicers on the market and it may be a bit overwhelming to figure out which one is best for your needs, especially if you are choosing your first juice extractor. However, when it comes down to it, all these different electric juice machines fall into two basic kinds -

1) Masticating Juice Extractors
2) Centrifugal Juice Extractors

Centrifugal Juicers

The famous Jack LaLanne power juicer machines are an example of a centrifugal juicer. These machines operate at very high RPM's and juice very quickly. This makes them the ideal choice for those short on time. The high speed motor spins a circular disc style blade that acts very similar to a cheese grater. The blade is made up of many small sharp holes that grinds down fruits and vegetables to release the juice. The high RPM's also create a centrifugal force that separates the pulp from the juice.

The main pros of centrifugal juicers is that they are easy to use and don't require much muscle on the users behalf and they are fast. Also, they are the cheapest kind of electric juicing machine. Adding these pros together makes these juicers a popular choice for beginners.

On the downside, centrifugal juicers are very noisy because of the high speed at which they run. They high speed also creates friction and heat that will kill off some of the antioxidants and enzymes in fruits and vegetables.

Masticating Juicers

Masticating juicers are more expensive, high end juice extractors that are popular with juicing purists and those whose aim is to create the most nutritious juices. These juicers run at very slow RPMs compared to centrifugal juice extractors so they produce much less heat. Therefore they preserve a lot more of the antioxidants and enzymes in fruits and vegetables to deliver a more nutritious health promoting drink. Masticating juicers make this possible because they don't use a high speed spinning blade but rather a single gear system that squeezes and churns the juice out of fruits and vegetables slowly. This also produces a higher juice yield than centrifugal juice extractors.

The main downsides of masticating juice extractors is that they require a little more muscle to get fruits and vegetables through and this also increases the time it takes to make a juice. These juice machines also tend to be heavier.

*There is also one more type of juice extractor that takes the masticating method one step further and uses two gears. This increases the juice yield a little more and preserves nutrients a little better. These juicer machines are known as triturating juice extractors or twin gear juicers and are the most expensive kind.