Author Topic: A So What Story  (Read 1273 times)

Millet

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A So What Story
« on: January 26, 2015, 10:45:21 AM »
A “so what” story. That’s how I would label the enticingly titled “Juicy Secrets” investigation of “premium” orange juice by CBC’s Marketplace. The program claims to reveal secrets that orange juice producers don’t want you to know. What secrets? Simply that some of the flavours lost during processing are added back into the juice. “A miracle of nature has become a miracle of manipulation,” goes the accusation. Actually, I would categorize it more as a significant achievement for modern science.

Anyone who has ever squeezed oranges and stored the juice will attest to dramatic changes in flavour within a few days. And not for the better. The flavour of orange juice is due to hundreds of compounds, with linalool, limonene, beta-phellandrene, terpinene-4-ol, ethyl-3-hydroxyhexanoate, geraniol, decanal, octanal, myrcene, citral, nerol, octanol and decanol being among the major components. Of course the exact composition varies according to the type of orange, climatic conditions and ripeness when picked. And chemical changes begin to occur as soon as juice is squeezed. Some compounds react with oxygen in the air, others are subjected to the activity of enzymes released during squeezing, natural yeasts present in the orange trigger fermentation and any bacteria present begin to multiply. If freshly squeezed orange juice were just sealed in a container and distributed, it would quickly spoil. What consumers look for is good taste and safety. And the so-called “premium” products deliver that, thanks to a great deal of scientific research. If there is to be an acceptable shelf life, the juice has to be pasteurized to destroy microorganisms and stop enzymatic activity. To prevent off-flavours caused by oxidation, oxygen has to be removed from the airspace above the stored juice. Yes, the juice does have to be stored, often for months. We want our juice year round, but oranges do not grow year round. And in Canada, they don’t grow at all.

The problem is that the processing also removes some of the important flavour components. But these can be isolated from the vapours drawn off during oxygen removal or from essential oils extracted form the peels of the oranges. These compounds can then be formulated into “flavour packs” which are added back into the juice just before distribution. Nothing that was not naturally present in the orange is introduced; all the added compounds were present in the juice in the first place. Since the composition of the flavour packs can be adjusted, producers can ensure that the processed orange juice always tastes the same, even though the original juice may vary in flavor depending on the source of oranges and the time of the year. The taste of orange juice is a function of the interaction of its chemical components with receptors on our taste buds and in our nasal passage. Research has revealed that some of these components contribute more to taste than others, and flavour packs can take advantage of this. For example, increasing the amount of ethyl butyrate, one of the orange’s natural components, improves the taste. There is no health issue here at all. Not only is this compound perfectly safe to consume, butyrates are thought to play a role in protection against colon cancer. One of the reasons that “probiotics” are believed to be beneficial is their ability to produce short chain fatty acids like butyrate that cells in the lining of the colon need to maintain their health. Butyrates are even sold as dietary supplements and are commonly present in beer.

Millet

Doglips

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Re: A So What Story
« Reply #1 on: January 26, 2015, 10:50:27 AM »
I just saw a OJ taste test on a cooking show, the winner actual stored the oranges whole (nitrogen stored, I think), then they squeezed the oranges as needed, all the others squoze and stored.

gunnar429

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Re: A So What Story
« Reply #2 on: January 26, 2015, 11:01:42 AM »
Note to self:   get a citrus juicer and press/squeeze them at home. 
~Jeff

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