Fruit Juice Manufacturing

1. Introduction

Over the last decade, international trade of fruit juice has rapidly increased, with juice export from developing countries accounting for over 60%. Brazil and China are among the world's largest juice producers. (Brandon & Fereriro, 1998; FAO, 1999: FAS/USDA, 2006). Most popular juices are orange, apple and grape juice. Customer demand continues to increases for fresh, unpasteurised juice as part of the growing trend for "fresher food". This new demand creates opportunities, as well as concerns and issues, particularly in safety for consumer.

This assignment will specifically cover the juice manufacturing process for small and medium-scale operations, mostly from developing regions, and their advantages and challenges in the intense competition with large international manufacturers.

Many slightly different definitions for fruit juice exist. Generally, juice is defined as "unfermented but fermentable juice, intended for direct consumption, obtained by the mechanical process from sound, ripe fruits, preserved exclusively by physical means. The juice may be turbid or clear. The juice may have been concentrated and later reconstituted with water for the purpose of maintaining the essential composition and quality factors of the juice. The addition of sugars or acids can be permitted but must be endorsed in the individual standard." (Codex Alimentarius, FAO 1992)

There are many different designations of juice, mainly differing in juice content and added components such as sugars and waters, and clarity, ranging from 100% pure juice to juice beverage containing as low as 10% juice. Some of these designations are: pure juice, freshly squeezed juice, juice blend, puree, nectar, from concentrate, juice cocktail, juice beverage, etc.

2. Fruit juice: Main processing steps from raw