The Florida Department of Citrus sent over a few paragraphs of information in response to my post, “The Flavor Of Your OJ Is A Chemically-Induced Mirage” from last week.

Dear Mr. Popken,

On behalf of the Florida Department of Citrus, I am writing in response to your article on Consumerist.com, entitled “The Flavor Of Your OJ Is A Chemically-Induced Mirage.” Please allow me to share further information.

Purchased by nearly 70 percent of American households, people choose 100 percent orange juice for its great taste and nutrition benefits. Both “from concentrate” and “not from concentrate” orange juice are healthy options that provide a variety of nutrients. By utilizing state-of-the-art technology, Florida is able to provide a consistent supply of high quality, nutritious orange juice year round.

One hundred percent orange juice is made only from oranges. The basic principle of orange juice processing is similar to how you make orange juice at home. Oranges are washed and the juice is extracted by squeezing the oranges. Seeds and particles are strained out. Orange juice is pasteurized to ensure food safety.

During processing, natural components such as orange aroma, orange oil from the peel, and pulp may be separated from the orange juice. After the juice is pasteurized, these natural orange components may be added back to the orange juice for optimal flavor.

Please visit http://www.OrangeJuiceFacts.com for more information about orange juice.

Please feel free to contact me if you’d like to discuss in more detail. Thank you for your time and consideration.

That’s right, I always remove the oxygen from my orange juice at home. Seriously though, I love orange juice and had a big glass of it the day I wrote that post. I love it so much that I am curious about how it’s made. I was fascinated to learn, for instance, that when you grab a carton at the grocery story, there isn’t a guy behind the shelf handing it to you pulled straight from his orange tree.

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The Flavor Of Your OJ Is A Chemically-Induced Mirage

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