"If you buy your favorite brand of orange juice at the grocery store, it's always going to taste the same, no matter what. We take this consistency in food for granted, but just a minute of thinking will make you realize how unnatural this is. Any kind of fresh fruit or vegetable is going to be affected by so many variables across time and growing regions, from soil to rainfall to temperature."
"Most orange juice these days is "not from concentrate" juice, which subtly suggests it's fresher than frozen orange juice concentrate. It's true this style of orange juice tastes closer to fresh than concentrate, but it's far from fresh-squeezed. Instead, it is made by pasteurizing orange juice to make sure it's safe to drink, and then its flavor is enhanced with so-called "flavor packets" made from orange oils and essence to ensure it stays tasty as long as it's on the shelf."
"While keeping a product consistent across time is an obvious benefit to manufacturers, it's not the main reason orange juice is made this way. Instead, it's a way to maintain the juices' "fresh" taste after the preservation process. Orange juice isn't just pasteurized to kill bacteria. It also goes through a process called "deaeration," which removes oxygen."
Retail orange juice tastes consistent despite natural variation in fruit because manufacturers process and reformulate it. Most supermarket orange juice labeled 'not from concentrate' is pasteurized and not fresh-squeezed. Producers enhance pasteurized juice with 'flavor packets' derived from orange oils and essences to restore and preserve a desirable taste while on the shelf. Manufacturers control the contents of these flavor packs, allowing them to customize and standardize each brand's flavor profile. Brand-specific flavoring lets companies maintain distinct, consistent flavors year-round despite differences in growing regions, seasons, and fruit variability. The juice also undergoes deaeration, which removes oxygen.
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