And in most cases, with the possible exception of wines, the changes will be for the worse. From the day of processing to the day of consumption, the product will change to a certain extent dependent on storage conditions. No packaging system is able to completely prevent changes in quality taking place in orange juice – or other beverages in general – during storage. Therefore these quality parameters should be protected during a given shelf life.ĩ.1.2 Factors affecting quality parameters during storage The main answers will most probably be its enjoyable taste and high nutritional value due to a high vitamin C content. To better understand the term “quality parameters”, one could question why consumers buy orange juice. In addition to its most obvious function of containing the product, a consumer package must protect the specific quality parameters of orange juice.
Some important operating parameters which influence juice quality at different steps are presented in Figure 9.1.įactors which influence juice quality 9.1.1 Product quality parameters to be protected during storage In conclusion, the quality of orange juice at consumption depends on all the processing and packaging steps from raw material intake up to the product being consumed. Therefore, regardless of the package, degradation of vitamin C and browning of orange juice always take place in stored orange juice when a certain temperature and/ or storage time is exceeded. Moreover, it is inevitable that product deterioration related to product-specific characteristics and storage conditions gradually takes place over time. The influence of packaging material and package type on the shelf life of orange juice has been the subject of many investigations.Īlthough the package is important in protecting its contents, it cannot improve the quality of orange juice made from poor raw materials or disguise quality degradation originating from non-optimal processing. The shelf life of food and beverages is the time period up to the point when the product becomes unacceptable from a safety, sensorial or nutritional perspective. One of the main aims of a packaging system and packages is to protect orange juice from microbial spoilage and chemical deterioration during distribution and storage. Worldwide, plastic bottles are the second most common type of container, followed by glass bottles.
They are either made from prefabricated blanks or fed from rolls. Laminated carton packages are the most common form of packaging in most countries for chilled and shelf-stable orange juice.
In general, packaging for orange juice should contain an aroma barrier to prevent aromas permeating out through the package. The results are loss of nutritional value concerning vitamin C, unpleasant colour changes, and off-flavour formation, which is caused predominantly by chemical changes in the juice matrix and, to a lesser degree, by changes in the volatile flavour fraction.Īlmost all changes can occur under anaerobic storage conditions and are greatly accelerated by oxygen (headspace and dissolved oxygen, and oxygen permeating through the package). High storage temperatures combined with oxygen are the main factors involved in quality deterioration over time. Anaerobic degradation of vitamin C also takes place but independent of oxygen. Light, in combination with excessive oxygen (head-space and dissolved oxygen, and high oxygen permeation through the package), is known to accelerate flavour changes and aerobic degradation of vitamin C. The degradation products of vitamin C contribute to browning. Vitamin C is the compound in orange juice that reacts most readily with oxygen, and its loss correlates with the oxygen-barrier properties of the package. For orange juice, measures should be taken to protect vitamin C and flavour compounds, and to prevent microbial growth and colour changes. One of the primary aims of a packaging system is to protect the product from microbial spoilage and chemical deterioration during distribution and storage.
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