Tan Yifan

    cicitan2011@gmail.com

    MOST people enjoy fresh fruit or vegetable juice and are willing to pay extra for freshness. Some people even prefer juice with pulp. But no one wants it if it’s no longer fresh, let alone smelling fetid.

    For local Taiwanese resident Mrs. Liao, however, the best juice of all is made of fruit enzymes, a special liquid that requires six months to formulate that she claims can help people digest, absorb and utilize nutrients. Liao said a bottle of enzyme juice contains around 30 kinds of probiotics, which are good for a person’s health.

    “Drinking fruit or vegetable enzymes is trendy among Taiwanese in recent years,” Liao said. “I was first introduced to the drink by my friend a year ago. I was in bad health around that time, and she recommended enzyme therapy to me. She said fruit enzymes can help cure many diseases and reduce blood pressure.

    “I didn’t believe it, but I gave it a try. After a few months, my blood pressure decreased, and what’s more interesting, my lifestyle has changed,” Liao said.

    The enzyme therapy Liao is promoting was introduced to Taiwan by Wen Xiuzhi, a Malaysian therapist who encourages people to use leftover fruit and vegetable bits to make enzyme juice.

    “I attended one of Wen’s lectures in Taiwan. She shared a lot of details with us about how to make perfect enzyme juice,” said Liao, who showed Shenzhen Daily her enzyme juices in various large plastic bottles. “It’s easy to get started, but you need to be very careful about the proportions of the ingredients, remember the steps and time it exactly right.”

    “When you collect leftover vegetables or vegetable bits, you actually start a life that is environmentally friendly,” Liao said.

    HOW TO MAKE IT

    To start, you need to find a plastic container with a large opening. “I usually use 1-liter water bottles. You can use a smaller one or use glass containers, but I recommend using plastic containers in case of unexpected explosions during the fermentation process,” Liao said.

    To prevent air from flowing into the container, she usually covers the bottleneck with a plastic bag and then closes the cap.

    To measure the weight of the ingredients, you also need to prepare a scale or a measuring cup. “Some people just measure them by instinct, which is okay, but it’s better to be accurate to avoid possible failures,” Liao said.

    Then, all you have to do is wash the fruit or vegetables you want to add into the container and prepare a jar of honey or a bag of brown sugar. The more kinds of fruits or vegetables you add, the better. Liao said pineapples and bananas are good choices as they add sweetness to the juice.

    “Add the raw materials into the bottle in a 3:1:10 ratio. If you prepare 3 kilos of fruit, add 1 kilo of sugar and 10 kilos of filtered potable water,” Liao explained. Then, take a note of the date you seal the container and then wait six months.”

    RULES TO FOLLOW

    First, you need to make sure that about 40 percent of the container is empty. Because the liquid will swell during the fermentation process, it is better to give it some space to grow.

    Second, you can choose to make either fruit or vegetable enzymes, but it is better to make drinkable enzyme juice with only fruit because the taste of vegetable-based enzyme juice is a bit weird for most people.

    You can use brown sugar to make vegetable enzyme juice, as most people use it to wash dishes or as shampoo.

    Third, shake the bottle at least daily within the first month and loosen the cap to let air out of the bottle.

    “The juice will be in different colors based on the fruits or vegetables you add,” Liao said. “Be patient with your enzyme juice, and if you are not satisfied with your juice and think it might be a failure, just add more honey or sugar and wait another month,” she said. But the seal date will then change to the date you added more honey or sugar.

    Last, the container needs to be placed in a cool place without direct exposure to sunshine because heat will accelerate the speed of fermentation and will make it difficult to calculate the time. However, the container shouldn’t be stored in the refrigerator because the cold temperature will stop the process.

    WAYS TO USE IT

    Once the foam disappears and the liquid becomes stable, it is ready to be used. Typically, the liquid is for drinking. Pour less than a spoonful into your cup, add warm or cold water and stir.

    “But you must drink no more than 50ml of the liquid a day, as it is acidic and too many probiotics will be a burden on your body,” Liao said.

    As for vegetable enzymes, you can add it to dishwashing detergent, shampoo, laundry detergent, or give one or two drops to your potted plants. It will help you clean stuff and make the detergent or shampoo more effective. The ratio is 1:1.

    “You can also pour the liquid down your drains. It will clean them very effectively,” Liao added.

    HEALTH CONCERNS

    Though making enzyme juice has become a common practice among some people, experts point out that we need to be careful about what we drink.

    Gu Zhong, a Beijing-based nutritionist, said on his WeChat that enzyme juice is not omnipotent and can’t decompose fat in our body. He also said that homemade enzyme juice may cause diarrhea, and it is not known whether the bad elements of the fermented juice will disappear after a few months.