Producing reconstituted orange juice that tastes as good as the fresh-squeezed product is the goal of Agricultural Research Service scientists in Winter Haven, Florida.
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The researchers say the key is finding the blend of flavour compounds, of which there are more than 40, that impart the taste that most consumers prefer.
The team are working to develop information about the thresholds of so-called flavour impact aroma compounds that give fresh-squeezed orange juice its taste. A threshold is the level at which a compound can be detected by smell or taste.
Florida growers annually harvest an average of more than 200 million 90-pound boxes of oranges. About 80% of the oranges are processed, mostly into juice. Juice processors generally squeeze the fresh oranges and use evaporators to remove much of the water. Condensed juice is easier and cheaper to transport or to freeze. While the evaporative process also strips off the aroma compounds responsible for the juice’s fresh-squeezed taste, processors capture and blend these compounds into “flavour pack” mixtures. Later, juice-processing companies purchase and add these flavour packs back to frozen, concentrated juice, along with water, before marketing the reconstituted juice.
The scientists are based at the ARS Citrus and Subtropical Products Laboratory. The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the US Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific research agency.
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