Concentrated juice (hereinafter CJ) is a natural product of our time, combining the eternal human desire to preserve the taste of fresh fruit with modern technology. There are mentions of juice concentration as far back as Ancient Rome; condensed grape juice was widespread in medieval European countries. The process consisted of evaporating water from juices and led to the loss of some vitamins and the product's aroma.
When a large amount of water is removed from the juice, the latter becomes thick and viscous, the concentration of natural acids and sugars grows, the habitual habitat of bacteria is disrupted, and so is the rate of their reproduction.
And, accordingly, the costs of its storage and transportation are significantly lower.
The Americans managed to create an industrial production of orange juice concentrate while preserving most of the vitamins, taste and colour. Naturally, the product quickly became popular and began to conquer markets. The price of the product contributed to this. By the way, Tetra Pak was also founded in 1951 in Lund, Sweden (the tetrahedron packaging concept was patented by Erik Wallenberg in 1944, the first Tetra Classic package was patented in 1952).
1Delivery of fresh fruits or vegetables to the processing plant. The faster this happens, the fewer losses and the lower the price of the finished product. This is the main reason why processing plants are located close to harvest regions.
2Washing and cleaning from impurities.
3Crushing of fruits and removal of inedible parts (stones, stems).
4Pressing to extract the juice.
5Filtration to obtain clear juices.
6Concentration of the juice.
