**History and Development**:
– In World War II, frozen concentrated orange juice gained popularity among American soldiers due to its high vitamin C content.
– Post-WWII, frozen concentrated orange juice became a common breakfast beverage in the United States.
– Reconstituted ready-to-serve juice and not-from-concentrate orange juice were developed in subsequent decades.
– In 1967, orange juice was designated as Florida’s official beverage due to its economic significance.
**Nutrition and Health Value**:
– A cup of fresh orange juice contains 26g of carbs, 21g of sugar, and provides 149% of the Daily Value of vitamin C.
– Orange juice is acidic with a pH of around 3.5 due to its citric acid content.
– Ongoing research explores the potential nutritional benefits of orange juice, especially in relation to cardiovascular health.
– Debate surrounds the health benefits of orange juice due to its high vitamin C and sugar content.
**Processing and Commercial Varieties**:
– Frozen concentrated orange juice involves evaporation, pasteurization, and storage at low temperatures.
– Not-from-concentrate orange juice is pasteurized and sold without concentration, sometimes requiring the addition of flavor packs.
– Canned orange juice retains vitamin C well but may lose flavor over time.
– Orange juice can be made from various orange varieties, with pulp removal based on preferences.
**Brands and Additives**:
– Major orange juice brands include Tropicana, Minute Maid, and Floridas Natural Growers.
– Producers may add citric acid, vitamins, and flavor packs to enhance taste.
– Additives like calcium and omega-3 fatty acids may also be included in orange juice.
– Different varieties of oranges contribute to the color and flavor of orange juice.
**Regulations and Composition**:
– Regulations in different countries specify quality criteria for orange juice, including minimum content requirements.
– Orange juice contains organic acids, sugars, and phenolic compounds contributing to flavor and health benefits.
– The physical structure of orange juice involves suspended particles in a clear serum, crucial for maintaining stability.
– Molecular composition analysis reveals essential compounds like hesperidin and narirutin in commercial orange juice.
Orange juice is a liquid extract of the orange tree fruit, produced by squeezing or reaming oranges. It comes in several different varieties, including blood orange, navel oranges, valencia orange, clementine, and tangerine. As well as variations in oranges used, some varieties include differing amounts of juice vesicles, known as "pulp" in American English, and "(juicy) bits" in British English. These vesicles contain the juice of the orange and can be left in or removed during the manufacturing process. How juicy these vesicles are depend upon many factors, such as species, variety, and season. In American English, the beverage name is often abbreviated as "OJ".
 | |
| Nutritional value per 250 ml (1 cup) | |
|---|---|
| Energy | 468.6 kJ (112.0 kcal) |
25.79 | |
| Sugars | 20.83 |
| Dietary fiber | 0.50 |
0.50 | |
| Saturated | 0.06 |
| Monounsaturated | 0.089 |
| Polyunsaturated | 0.099 |
1.74 | |
| Vitamins | Quantity %DV† |
| Vitamin A equiv. | 3% 25 μg |
| Vitamin A | 496 IU |
| Thiamine (B1) | 19% 0.223 mg |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 6% 0.074 mg |
| Niacin (B3) | 6% 0.992 mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 6% 0.099 mg |
| Folate (B9) | 19% 74 μg |
| Vitamin B12 | 0% 0.00 μg |
| Vitamin C | 138% 124.0 mg |
| Vitamin D | 0% 0.0 IU |
| Vitamin E | 1% 0.10 mg |
| Vitamin K | 0% 0.2 μg |
| Minerals | Quantity %DV† |
| Calcium | 2% 27 mg |
| Iron | 3% 0.50 mg |
| Magnesium | 6% 27 mg |
| Phosphorus | 3% 42 mg |
| Potassium | 17% 496 mg |
| Sodium | 0% 2 mg |
| Zinc | 1% 0.12 mg |
| Other constituents | Quantity |
| Water | 218.98 |
| †Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults, except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies. | |
Commercial orange juice with a long shelf life is made by pasteurizing the juice and removing the oxygen from it. This removes much of the taste, necessitating the later addition of a flavor pack, generally made from orange products. Additionally, some juice is further processed by drying and later rehydrating the juice, or by concentrating the juice and later adding water to the concentrate.
The health value of orange juice is debatable: it has a high concentration of vitamin C, but also a very high concentration of simple sugars, comparable to soft drinks. As a result, some government nutritional advice has been adjusted to encourage substitution of orange juice with raw fruit, which is digested more slowly, and limit daily consumption.