Energy savings from optimizing storage temperatures of fruit juice concentrates

Since orange juice concentrates are customarily called “FCOJ” (Frozen Concentrated Orange Juice), they are often misunderstood that they are a kind of “frozen food” (or quick-frozen food). Food Sanitation Law in Japan and Japanese Agricultural Standards stipulate the preservation temperature of “frozen food (including fruit juice)” at -15 °C and -18 °C or lower, respectively. Regulations in EU as well as in USA have also similar figures. The key point is to know if they are in a frozen state at temperatures around -18 °C or not. Therefore, we conducted the freezing point measurement of fruit juice concentrates in various conditions as correctly as possible, and it was confirmed that most of the fruit juice concentrates prevailing nowadays (orange: ca. 65 °Brix, apple: 65 to 70 °Brix, etc.) have freezing points much lower than -18 °C, being not a kind of “frozen food”.

4 pages
Authors: H. Akabane, M. Furuno
Published in FRUIT PROCESSING 6/2011