A slow juicer puts most of the fibre into the pulp, and that is how it makes smooth, light juice. Researchers at Texas A&M University juiced 19 vegetables in three different ways, in a study published in December 2020. The slow juicer gave the highest amounts of helpful plant compounds, and it also took out the pulp and fibre.

That fibre is not lost. It sits in the pulp container, ready to use.

Maybe you are choosing a slow juicer in Malaysia, and the fibre question is holding you back. This guide shows where the fibre goes and what stays in your glass. It also gives easy ways to keep fibre in your day, so you can enjoy fresh juice and still get the fibre from your fruit.

Where the fibre goes in a slow juicer

A slow juicer turns a screw, called an auger. The auger crushes the fruit and presses it against a fine screen. Juice passes through the screen. Skin, seeds and most of the fibre stay behind and leave through a separate spout as pulp.

Figures from the US Department of Agriculture show how big the change is. A raw orange has 2.4 g of fibre in every 100 g. Raw orange juice has 0.2 g in every 100 g. You can check both numbers in the USDA FoodData Central database.

The same pattern shows up in other fruit and vegetables. The table below uses USDA figures per 100 g. The orange juice figure is for fresh juice. The apple and carrot juice figures are for bottled and canned juice, because the database has no figure for fresh-pressed ones.

You can see this at home too. After a batch, look at the pulp container. That small pile of dry pulp is where the fibre from your fruit went.

So the glass holds the water, the taste and the juice of the fruit, and the pulp holds most of the fibre. That split is the reason people buy a juicer. A glass of juice is light and quick to drink, and it lets you drink greens you might not eat raw.

What a slow juicer does well

The Texas A&M team, writing in the journal ACS Food Science & Technology, compared a blender, a fast spinning juicer and a slow juicer on the same vegetables. They looked at vitamin C, antioxidants and other plant compounds.

Low-speed juicing gave the highest amounts of these compounds, though not for every vegetable. Blending gave the lowest amounts of some of them, such as vitamin C. The researchers pointed to heat. The blender made the most heat, and the slow juicer made the least.

A second study, published in March 2024 in the journal Food Science and Engineering, found that juice from a slow press was cloudier than juice from a fast juicer. It also stayed mixed instead of splitting into layers in the glass.

Where a blender does well

Blending keeps the whole fruit in the glass, so the drink is thick and full of fibre. In the Texas A&M study, blended drinks also had the most of a group of compounds that slow down how the body breaks down starch. The researchers said this was likely because of the extra fibre, and that these compounds could help keep blood sugar steadier after a meal.

So the two machines do different jobs. A slow juicer gives you smooth juice with more of the plant compounds. A blender gives you a thick drink with all the fibre. Our page on why juice from blenders isn't the same as cold-pressed juice explains the difference in taste and texture. If you want both drinks from one machine, read whether a 2-in-1 fruit juicer blender is worth buying.

Easy ways to keep fibre in your day

You do not have to choose between juice and fibre. Here are simple ways to have both:

1. Stir some pulp back in. Add a spoon of pulp to your glass. The juice gets thicker, and you decide how much.
2. Cook with the pulp. Carrot and apple pulp mix well into pancake batter, cake and bread dough. Vegetable pulp can go into soup, fried rice or patties. Our guide on how slow juicer owners can use fruit pulp has more ideas.
3. Eat some fruit whole. Juice one part of your fruit and eat the rest. A glass of juice in the morning and a whole fruit at tea time gives you both.
4. Freeze pulp for later. Pack the pulp into small bags or ice cube trays, then add it to the next batch of soup or batter.

Getting the most from fruit you buy in Malaysia

Every fruit you juice gives you two things: a glass of juice and a cup of pulp. Soft, watery fruit leaves only a little pulp. Firmer fruit and vegetables leave more, and that pulp works well in cooking. Our list of local fruits a slow juicer can handle shows which ones feed well and how to cut them.

A good habit is to plan the pulp before you start. If you juice carrots in the morning, set the pulp aside for that night's soup. If you juice apples, keep the pulp for a weekend cake.

Check your pulp after each batch. Dry, crumbly pulp means the machine got most of the juice out, and the pulp is ready to cook with. Wet pulp means the pieces were too big or went in too fast.

Choosing a slow juicer in Malaysia with fibre in mind

You can compare slow juicers in Malaysia on one page. If fibre matters to you, look at these points:

• The screen: a fine screen gives smooth juice. A coarser screen lets more pulp through for a thicker drink.
• The pulp outlet: a clean, separate pulp spout makes it easy to collect pulp for cooking.
• What you will make most: if you want thick drinks as well as juice, look at a machine that can do both.

Frequently asked questions

Does a slow juicer remove all the fibre?

No. Most of the fibre goes into the pulp, and a small amount stays in the juice. USDA figures show raw orange juice has 0.2 g of fibre per 100 g, against 2.4 g in a raw orange.

Is slow juicer juice still good for you with less fibre?

It gives you something different from whole fruit. In a Texas A&M study of 19 vegetables, low-speed juicing gave the highest amounts of helpful plant compounds, such as vitamin C, for most of them.

Can I put the pulp back into my juice?

Yes. Stir in a spoon of pulp and taste it. Add more if you like a thicker drink.

Is a blender better for fibre?

Yes. A blender keeps the whole fruit in the glass, so the drink keeps its fibre. A slow juicer and a blender do different jobs, and you can use both.

What can I cook with juicer pulp?

Fruit pulp works in pancakes, cakes and bread. Vegetable pulp works in soup, fried rice and patties. You can also freeze it in small bags for later.

Why is juice from a slow juicer cloudier?

A 2024 study found that juice from a slow press was cloudier than juice from a fast juicer, and it stayed mixed instead of splitting into layers.