Why does freshly squeezed OJ taste nothing like "not from concentrate" OJ?

AARRRGH

Hello

When I make my own freshly squeezed orange juice, it tastes really delicious and fresh, but when I drink something like Tropicana (which is supposedly 100% orange juice) it tastes watery and a bit bland.

Is this a "freshness" thing, or the type of orange, or something else?!

Mr Magnolia

A lot of it would come down to the type & quality of the orange used.

The likes of Tropicana are out to make a profit, can't blame them for that and I'm sure their QA Dept is ensuring they're buying quality oranges but they're there primarily for profit.

Next is the orange itself, if you check out the oranges used in your local juice bar you'll notice that they can be scaldy looking battered yokes but the orange juice can still taste fantastic. I'm told [by a very reliable source that] this is because the oranges they use are specific 'juicing oranges' and aren't retailed to the public in the local green grocers. Someone in the industry might confirm this?

Alun

Back when I lived in the Netherlands you could easily buy big bags of special juice pressing oranges (perssinaasappels) in the normal supermarkets. They produced loads of juice, but were generally not very pretty from an 'aesthetic' point of view .. sometimes a bit green still or had markings on the skin. I've no idea if they were a specific variety or anything.

I don't see any reason why the same couldn't be done here.

Fringe

I'd say the amount of time that's elapsed before you drink it also has an affect on the taste.

pickarooney

The best juicing oranges are completely green on the outside (when ripe). I've never seen them on sale in Europe though.

Beerlao

it's pasteurised, that's bound to affect the taste in some way as well

truecrippler

Digging up old thread but... they sell juicing oranges in Dunnes. They're now half price. 1.99 for a net.

IanCurtis

pickarooney wrote: »

The best juicing oranges are completely green on the outside (when ripe). I've never seen them on sale in Europe though.

That's mad. The orange juice machine in our work restaurant has greeny-type oranges, never the full-blown orange variety and, of course, nobody touches it for this reason. I wonder what the juice is like?

I might give it a go tomorrow.

Colostomy Bag

As someone mentioned above, I think it is mostly to do with the pasteurisation process -this would 'iron out' the flavour to an extent but I also think there are other factors. Juicing an orange creates a 'citric explosion' of all the different flavours - thus the 'freshness' taste. Tropicana and other brands obviously cannot replicate this - as it's never going to be 'freshly squeezed'. Imagine making freshly squeezed orange juice and chilling it for several days - then stirring it back up and serving - the taste will not be the same as when it was first squeezed - all the flavours, sugars and acids have mixed together and become homogenised. I'm sure the Tropicana or other types have to balance the flavours with sugar (sugar from oranges obviously) and it never tastes as bitter or as tangy as the real thing so by default they have a standardised product that has to be just right in terms of sweetness - so there has to be a manufacturing process of some sort. Although, It certainly tastes better than the more ubiquitous from concentrate variety.

GhostInTheRuins

pickarooney wrote: »

The best juicing oranges are completely green on the outside (when ripe). I've never seen them on sale in Europe though.

IanCurtis wrote: »

That's mad. The orange juice machine in our work restaurant has greeny-type oranges, never the full-blown orange variety and, of course, nobody touches it for this reason. I wonder what the juice is like?

I might give it a go tomorrow.

Green oranges? Why aren't they called greenses? :pac:

fobster

Talking bout orange juice has anyone bought the stuff on Aer Linugs flights? Comes with the Irish breakfast, tis great stuff.