Research Article Received: 28 September 2011 Revised: 6 December 2011 Accepted: 8 December 2011 Published online in Wiley Online Library: (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI 10.1002/jsfa.5587 Effect of extraction method on quality of orange juice: hand-squeezed, commercial- fresh squeezed and processed † Elizabeth A Baldwin, * Jinhe Bai, Anne Plotto, Randall Cameron, Gary Luzio, Jan Narciso, John Manthey, Wilbur Widmer and Bryan L Ford Abstract BACKGROUND: Fresh orange juice is perceived to be more wholesome than processed juice. Fresh juice may have flavor and nutrients that differ from pasteurized or processed juice. RESULTS: ‘Hamlin’ and ‘Valencia’ oranges were extracted using a commercial food service juicer, pasteurized or not, resulting in fresh-commercial juice (FCJ) or pasteurized juice (FCPJ) for comparison with pasteurized processed juice (PPJ) in 2009, and gently hand-squeezed ‘Valencia’ juice (HSJ) in 2010 for quality attributes. There was higher peel oil, lower pectin content, and less cloud loss in FCJ/FCPJ compared to PPJ and HSJ regardless of pasteurization. Titratable acidity was generally higher and the ratio of solids to acids lower in FCJ/FCPJ or HSJ compared to PPJ. FCJ/FCPJ had generally higher levels of most aroma volatiles than did PPJ and, overall, the highest esters and terpenes, while methanol and ethanol levels were highest in HSJ. For sensory evaluation, FCJ/FCPJ had more peel oil and PPJ more cooked flavor than other samples, while ‘Valencia’ HSJ was preferred over the other juices. CONCLUSION: High peel oil content and thermo-pasteurization process decreased cloud loss of orange juice. Extraction and finishing processes rather than pasteurization or oil content were major factors in influencing orange juice flavor quality. Published 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Keywords: orange juice; extraction; flavor; cloud loss: peel oil INTRODUCTION Fresh fruit growers in Florida are looking for an alternative market by creating a new product for their fruit, such as fresh squeezed juice. With this product there is a potential claim for better flavor and health benefits. Fresh orange juice is generally perceived to be more wholesome and to have better flavor than processed juice. Without processing and pasteurization, fresh juice may have flavor, cloud stability, ascorbic acid, total phenolics, antioxidant capacity, carotenoids and phytonutrients such as flavonoids that differ from pasteurized, processed juice. The essence of orange flavor is a complex mixture of volatile compounds, of which some 200 have been identified. 1,2 The most important volatiles are esters, aldehydes, and terpenes, followed by alcohols, ketones, and hydrocarbons. 3–5 Esters, low- molecular-weight aldehydes and alcohols are water soluble and localized in the juice vesicles. 5,6 After centrifugation of juice, which decreases the insoluble solids, a large portion of esters and other water-soluble compounds are lost. 7 Orange fruit have different volatiles in the oil in juice vesicles versus oil in peel. For example, valencene occurs in juice oil instead of peel oil. 5 The major peel oil volatile components are limonene (>90%), α-pinene, sabinene, myrcene, linalool and decanal, introduced into orange juice by juice extraction. 8–10 The amount of peel oil, albedo and segment membranes can be influenced by different extraction methods. 11 Thermal processing, such as with pasteurization, generally causes loss of esters and aldehydes, and formation of off flavors such as α-terpineol. 6 The objectives of this research were to address changes in flavor and other quality parameters due to differences in the methods of juice extraction on the same batch of fruit. Since the commercial fresh juicer used in this current study resulted in high oil content in the juice, it was also necessary to compare those samples to gently hand-squeezed fresh juice with little to no oil content. Another goal was to examine the effect of pasteurization alone and of processing plus pasteurization. Hence the study evaluated the results from several scenarios for comparison of juicing fruit using commercial fresh juicer with and without pasteurization, using an industrial extractor, finisher, and pasteurizer (or without ∗ Correspondence to: Elizabeth A Baldwin, USDA-ARS Horticultural Research Laboratory, 2001 South Rock Road, Fort Pierce, FL 34954, USA. E-mail: Liz.baldwin@ars.usda.gov † This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. Mention of a trademark or proprietary product is for identification only and does not imply a guarantee or warranty of the product by the US Department of Agriculture. The US Department of Agriculture prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. USDA-ARS Horticultural Research Laboratory, Fort Pierce, FL 34954, USA J Sci Food Agric (2012) www.soci.org Published 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.