Is Apple Juice Acidic or Alkaline?
Apple juice (raw) is alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
Apple juice brings along the apple's potassium but not the fiber, landing at −1.8 per 100 ml. That makes it a mildly alkaline drink, but not a substitute for fruit. At 44 kcal per 100 ml, the glass holds a lot of sugar without filling you up the way the fruit does. Diluted as a spritzer, the sugar and the alkalizing effect drop equally.
In the Drinks category, apple juice (raw) ranks #16 of 80, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Port wine (−1.9), Espresso (−1.9), Cider (−2.0). More acid-forming are Grape juice (−1.8), Mulled wine (−1.7), Rosé wine (−1.7).
Acidic or alkaline: PRAL, not pH
On this site, acidic and alkaline refer to the PRAL (potential renal acid load). It estimates what a food leaves behind once it has been digested: a positive value is acid-forming, a negative value is alkalizing. That is different from the pH of the food itself: a lemon tastes sour, yet its PRAL is −4.0, so it is alkalizing. Your diet does not change your blood pH. It does change how much acid your kidneys have to deal with.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is apple juice acidic?
It depends on what you mean by acidic. The pH describes the food itself, for example how sour it tastes. The PRAL describes what it leaves behind after digestion: Apple juice (raw) has a PRAL of −1.8 per 100 ml, so it counts as alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much apple juice do I need for a noticeable effect?
A glass (200 ml) of apple juice adds −3.6 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of apple juice roughly offsets one of them.
Why is apple juice alkaline even though it is not a typical alkaline food?
The PRAL depends on the minerals left over after digestion, not on taste or pH. Apple juice provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−1.8).
Apple Juice logged, balance checked.
Basentracker adds up every meal automatically and shows whether your day is in the alkaline range. The same values as on this page, all 977 foods, photo scan, recipes.
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Compare all Drinks: Drinks table. Common questions are answered in Acidic or Alkaline?, and the PRAL calculator adds up a whole meal.
Source: Basentracker food database (PRAL according to Remer & Manz, calculated from protein, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium per 100 g). This information does not replace medical advice.