FDA requested to alter Brix level in pasteurised orange juice

To bring juice concentrate back to its previous form, enough water is added to reconstitute the concentrated juice back to that of the undiluted juice from which it was made — a measurement known as standard Brix. The juice is then pasteurised before packaging.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been asked via a ‘citizen petition’ to amend the standard of identity for pasteurised orange juice by lowering the minimum soluble solids content, known as the Brix level, from 10.5 to 10%.

The request has cited that the average Brix level of Florida’s orange crop has steadily dropped over the past couple of decades due to a bacterial disease called “citrus greening” and severe weather.

Lowering the minimum level of soluble solids might reduce the sweetness of the juice and the levels of certain nutrients so the FDA is seeking further information to determine whether the standard of identity for pasteurised orange juice should be amended.

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