Orange Juice Concentrate is the backbone of many orange-flavoured beverage production lines worldwide. By removing most of the water from orange juice and standardising the Brix, this concentrate enables economical transport, precise formulation, and flavour consistency. In this comprehensive 2025 guide, we review everything from the production process to quality standards, packaging, pricing factors, and bulk-buy tips from reputable suppliers like Tomexa—so you get accurate, up-to-date, and SEO-friendly information.
What is Orange Juice Concentrate and how is it produced?
Orange juice concentrate is produced by extracting juice from fresh oranges, filtering it, adjusting acidity, evaporating under vacuum (to reach the target Brix, typically around 65°Brix), pasteurising, and finally packing aseptically or in frozen form. Throughout evaporation and pasteurisation, tight control of temperature and time is essential to preserve natural citrus flavour and prevent non-enzymatic browning. A portion of citrus peel essential oils is separated and then carefully reintroduced during blending to keep an optimal aromatic profile.
Quality standards for Orange Juice Concentrate
- Brix (°Brix): The concentration of soluble sugars; for OJC it is typically 64–66.
- Brix/Acid ratio (B/A): The balance of sweetness and acidity; commonly 13–17 (depending on cultivar and end use).
- Titratable Acidity (TA as citric acid): Set to match product standards and the target market.
- Colour and haze: Monitored with a spectrophotometer/haze meter; a bright orange colour without brownish tones is preferred.
- Essential oils (EO): Excess can cause bitterness or a waxy mouthfeel; the optimal range depends on the customer’s specification.
- Microbiology: Must meet aseptic/pasteurisation requirements; colony counts extremely low and non-pathogenic.
- Contaminants and purity: No added sugar, corn syrup, cheaper juices, or artificial colours. Isotopic tests, adulteration markers, and advanced analytics are employed.
Adulteration and authenticity checks
Adulteration in Orange Juice Concentrate can include dilution, sugar addition, or blending with cheaper concentrates. To prevent this:
- Use COAs and results from independent laboratories.
- Verify compliance with Codex and industry regulations (external link below).
- Track Brix/Acid consistency across consecutive shipments.
Packaging, transport, and storage
- Packaging: Aseptic drums of 200–250 kg with multilayer liners, cubic pallets, or aseptic IBCs. For specific markets, Frozen Concentrate is supplied in frozen drums.
- Transport: Ocean freight in reefer containers (for Frozen) or standard containers (for Aseptic).
- Storage: Aseptic at 0–5 °C (short term) or below 0 °C (medium term); Frozen at ≤ −18 °C.
- Shelf life: 12–24 months, depending on cold chain and dissolved oxygen. De-aeration and optimised headspace help maintain colour.
Industrial applications
- 100% orange juice and nectars: Reconstituted to consumer Brix.
- RTDs and flavoured malts: To build a stable citrus profile.
- Dairy and ice cream: For natural orange notes with good stability.
- Jams, jellies, and sauces: Strong flavour and manageable acidity.
- Clean-label positioning: Performs well in formulations without artificial colours/flavours.
Pricing factors and sustainable supply
- Origin and harvest season: Orchard yields in Brazil/Mexico/Spain and weather conditions move prices.
- Industrial availability: Evaporation/pasteur capacity and global inventories.
- Logistics and FX: Major impact on final CIF/FOB pricing.
- Custom specs: Target Brix, B/A, pulpy or clarified, and level of essential-oil readdition.
- Quality and compliance: Suppliers with HACCP, ISO 22000, and full traceability reduce risk.
- Laboratory transparency: COA per batch plus third-party testing.
- Sensory alignment: Triangle tests and alignment with your internal panel.
- Supply reliability: Phased delivery plans, MOQ contracts, and storage options.
- Technical support: Ability to tune flavour profile (blend design) for your target market.
- True price competitiveness: Evaluate TCO (total cost of ownership) rather than unit price alone—quality, wastage, consumer claims, and return rates matter.
Why Tomexa?
With a multi-stage production and inspection network, Tomexa supplies Orange Juice Concentrate to your bespoke specs (Brix, B/A, pulpy/clear). Beyond quality approvals, we offer diverse packaging options and R&D support, and we assist with ordering, international shipping, and customs clearance.
FAQs about Orange Juice Concentrate
1) What Brix is suitable for 100% orange juice?
Concentrate is typically ~65°Brix; for reconstituted juice it’s diluted to the consumer Brix (per the destination standard).
2) Can the flavour profile be customised?
Yes. By blending different sources and adjusting essential-oil readdition, the aromatic notes can be tailored to order.
3) Aseptic or Frozen—which is better?
For long routes and lower freight costs, aseptic is more common; where extremely high sensory fidelity is critical, frozen is the conservative choice.
External link (dofollow)
For official fruit juice and nectar standards, see Codex:
Codex Standard for Fruit Juices and Nectars (CODEX STAN 247-2005)
https://www.fao.org/gsfaonline/standards/detail/en/?code=CXS%20247-2005
For information and purchasing, please visit tomexa.com
