Orange juice facts for kids
 |
|
| Nutritional value per 1 cup (250 mL) | |
|---|---|
| Energy | 468.6 kJ (112.0 kcal) |
|
25.79
|
|
| Sugars | 20.83 |
| Dietary fiber | 0.50 |
|
0.50
|
|
| Saturated | 0.06 |
| Monounsaturated | 0.089 |
| Polyunsaturated | 0.099 |
|
Protein
|
1.74
|
| Vitamins | Quantity
%DV†
|
| Vitamin A equiv. |
3%
25 μg |
| Vitamin A | 496 IU |
| Thiamine (B1) |
19%
0.223 mg |
| Riboflavin (B2) |
6%
0.074 mg |
| Niacin (B3) |
6%
0.992 mg |
| Vitamin B6 |
8%
0.099 mg |
| Folate (B9) |
19%
74 μg |
| Vitamin B12 |
0%
0.00 μg |
| Vitamin C |
149%
124.0 mg |
| Vitamin D |
0%
0.0 IU |
| Vitamin E |
1%
0.10 mg |
| Vitamin K |
0%
0.2 μg |
| Minerals | Quantity
%DV†
|
| Calcium |
3%
27 mg |
| Iron |
4%
0.50 mg |
| Magnesium |
8%
27 mg |
| Phosphorus |
6%
42 mg |
| Potassium |
17%
496 mg |
| Sodium |
0%
2 mg |
| Zinc |
1%
0.12 mg |
| Other constituents | Quantity |
| Water | 218.98 |
|
Link to USDA Database entry
|
|
| †Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults. | |
Orange juice is a popular drink made by squeezing the fruit of the orange tree. It comes in many different types, like juice from blood oranges, navel oranges, and valencia oranges. Some orange juices have "pulp," which are small pieces of the orange fruit. These bits hold the juice and can be kept in or taken out during making. How juicy these bits are depends on the type of orange and the time of year. In the U.S., people often call it "OJ" for short.
Commercial orange juice that lasts a long time is made by heating the juice (called pasteurizing) and removing oxygen. This process can change the taste, so special orange flavors are often added back later. Some juice is also dried or made into a thick concentrate, and then water is added back later.
The health benefits of orange juice are often discussed. It has a lot of vitamin C, which is great for you! However, it also has a high amount of natural sugars, similar to some soft drinks. Because of this, some health advice suggests eating whole oranges instead of just drinking the juice. Whole fruit has more fiber, which helps your body digest the sugars more slowly. It's best to enjoy orange juice in moderation.
The Story of Orange Juice
During World War II, American soldiers needed drinks with lots of vitamin C to stay healthy and avoid diseases like scurvy. The lemon-flavored powders they had weren't very tasty. So, the government and the Florida Department of Citrus worked with scientists to create a better-tasting drink. They developed frozen, concentrated orange juice, which became available a few years after the war ended.
By 1949, orange juice factories in Florida were making millions of gallons of this concentrated juice. People loved it because it was affordable, tasted good, was easy to prepare, and had lots of vitamin C. You just added water to the frozen concentrate and stirred! Later, in the 1980s, food scientists created juice that tasted even fresher. In the 1990s, "not from concentrate" (NFC) orange juice was developed. Today, orange juice is a very common breakfast drink in the United States.
Because oranges are so important to Florida's economy, the juice from specific types of oranges became the official state beverage of Florida in 1967.
What's in Your Juice? (Nutrition)
A single cup (about 250 mL) of fresh orange juice is mostly water (88%). It contains about 26 grams of carbohydrates, including 21 grams of sugar. It also has two grams of protein and small amounts of dietary fiber and fat. This serving provides about 112 calories.
Orange juice is famous for its high amount of vitamin C, giving you almost 150% of your daily needs! It also has good amounts of potassium, thiamin, and folate.
Because oranges contain citric acid, orange juice is a bit acidic. Its typical pH level is around 3.5.
Scientists are still studying if drinking orange juice can help improve overall nutrition and affect cardiovascular diseases (heart and blood vessel problems).
How Orange Juice is Made
Commercial orange juice goes through several steps to make sure it's safe and lasts a long time.
Frozen Concentrated Orange Juice (FCOJ)
To make frozen concentrated orange juice, the juice is first pasteurized (heated to kill germs) and filtered. Then, most of the water is removed using a special process with heat and a vacuum. This makes the juice very thick, like a syrup, which is called a concentrate. This concentrate is then stored at very cold temperatures. Later, when you want to drink it, you add water back to "reconstitute" it. Sometimes, flavors, Vitamin C, and oils that were lost during processing are added back to make it taste better and be more nutritious.
This type of juice was first developed in 1948. From the late 1950s to the mid-1980s, it was the most popular kind of orange juice.
Not From Concentrate (NFC) Orange Juice
"Not from concentrate" juice is also pasteurized, but it isn't concentrated by removing water. However, most "not from concentrate" juice is stored in special tanks where the oxygen is removed. This helps it last longer, sometimes for up to a year.
Removing the oxygen can also remove some of the natural flavor. So, manufacturers often add special "flavor packs" back into the juice before it's bottled. These flavor packs are made from orange products and help restore the fresh taste. The exact ingredients in these flavor packs don't always have to be listed on a product's packaging.
One common ingredient in flavor packs is ethyl butyrate. This is a natural smell that people connect with freshness. It's often removed from juice during pasteurization and storage. Studies have shown that commercially processed juices can have much higher levels of ethyl butyrate than fresh-squeezed juice.
Canned Orange Juice
A small amount of fresh orange juice is put into cans. Canned orange juice keeps its vitamin C much better than juice in bottles. However, the flavor can change if it's stored at room temperature for more than 12 weeks. In the early days, the acidity of the juice made it taste metallic in cans. In 1931, Dr. Philip Phillips developed a quick heating process called flash pasteurization that solved this problem and made canned orange juice more popular.
Freshly Squeezed Juice
Freshly squeezed, unpasteurized juice is the closest you can get to eating an orange! This juice is made by simply squeezing oranges and bottling the juice. It doesn't have any additives or extra flavor packs. This juice is not pasteurized, so it needs to be kept cold. Depending on how it's stored, it can last from 5 to 23 days.
Different Oranges, Different Juices
Most common orange juice is made from the sweet orange. Different types of sweet oranges, like Valencia or Hamlin, have different properties. Juice makers might mix juices from different types of oranges to get the desired taste.
Orange juice usually looks orange or yellow. However, some special types, like blood orange juice, can be reddish-orange or even pink. This is because blood oranges have different natural colors.
Mandarin oranges, clementines, and tangerines are often used to make sparkling juice drinks. Many organic orange juices are also available in stores today.
Juice Brands You Might Know
In the U.S., a very popular orange juice brand is Tropicana Products. It holds almost 65% of the market share. Tropicana is also well-known in Latin America, Europe, and Central Asia. Other big brands include Minute Maid (from The Coca-Cola Company) and Florida's Natural Growers. Florida's Natural is special because it's owned by local Florida orange growers and only uses oranges grown in Florida.
In Australia, Daily Juice is a major brand. In the United Kingdom, you might see brands like Del Monte and Princes.
Additives
Sometimes, producers add extra citric acid or ascorbic acid (which is vitamin C) to juice. This can be more than what is naturally found in the orange. Some also add other nutrients. Often, extra vitamin C is added to replace what might be lost during pasteurization. Additional calcium or Vitamin D (which isn't naturally in oranges) might also be added. Sometimes, omega-3 fatty acids from fish oils are added to orange juice. You can also find low-acid varieties of orange juice.
Producers of frozen concentrated orange juice often remove a lot of the water to make it lighter. This helps reduce transportation costs. Other juice producers often remove air from the juice so it can be sold much later in the year.
Because these processes can remove the special smells that give orange juice a fresh-squeezed taste, producers later add these smells back. They use a special mixture called a "flavor pack" to improve the taste and make sure the juice tastes the same all year round. The ingredients in these flavor packs come from orange peels. Producers usually don't mention the addition of flavor packs on the label.
Standards and Regulations
Governments have rules to make sure orange juice is what it says it is and is safe to drink.
United States
In the United States, orange juice is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). According to the FDA, orange juice from concentrate is a mixture of water with frozen concentrated orange juice or concentrated orange juice made for factories. Other ingredients that can be added include fresh, frozen, or pasteurized orange juice from ripe oranges, orange oil, and orange pulp. Also, one or more optional sweeteners like sugar, corn syrup, or dextrose can be added. The orange juice must contain a minimum Brix level of 11.8. This number shows the percentage of orange juice solids that dissolve in water, not including any added sweeteners.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, orange juice from concentrate is a product made from concentrated fruit juice with water added. Any flavor or pulp lost during the first concentration process can be put back into the final product. This helps it taste like an average orange juice of the same kind. Any restored flavor or pulp must come from the same type of orange. Sugar can be added to make the juice less acidic or sweeter, but it cannot be more than 150 grams per liter of orange juice. In the UK, the final orange juice from concentrate must have a minimum Brix level of 11.2, not including any added sweeteners. Vitamins and minerals can also be added to the orange juice.
Orange Juice Today (Consumption)
According to industry information, the amount of orange juice people drink in the U.S. has been going down steadily. In the 2008-2009 orange season, Americans drank about 865,000 metric tons of orange juice. By the 2022-2023 season, this amount had dropped to around 500,000 metric tons. This is an average decrease of about 4% each year. Some reasons for this decline include rising prices for orange juice and bad weather conditions that affect orange harvests.
Images for kids
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A scientific chart showing the different compounds found in orange juice.
See also
In Spanish: Jugo de naranja para niños
