Orange Juice Processing Machine

1. NFC orange juice, also known as Not From Concentrate orange juice, is produced by directly extracting juice from fresh oranges and processing it without any concentration step. Unlike conventional orange juice concentrate, which requires water removal through evaporation and later dilution before packaging, NFC orange juice maintains its original flavor profile and natural characteristics. Due to its fresh taste, superior aroma, and high-quality standards, NFC orange juice has become increasingly popular in the premium beverage market and requires advanced orange juice processing technology to maintain product quality.
2. In the NFC orange juice production line, there are normally two main products, orange juice extracted from orange pulp and orange oil extracted from orange peel.
3. The orange juice that can be extracted from orange fruit is processed into concentrated juice or NFC(not from concentrated) juice. The concentrated orange juice can be sold at premium to the international markets with convenient shipping, long shelf life and space saved; NFC orange juice is experiencing a vigorous increase in global due to people’s pursuit of natural, organic and healthy juice beverages.
4. To support our customers and continue building our base of expertise, by increasing product yields and quality, improving processor productivity and efficiency, and lowering overall processing costs, we continuously invest in providing the most advanced orange juice processing technology available in the market today.
5. Our NFC orange juice processing line is a complete turnkey solution designed for the production of high-quality Not From Concentrate (NFC) orange juice. The system includes a full range of advanced fruit processing equipment, including orange washing, fruit inspection and conveyor systems, peel oil recovery equipment, orange juice extraction and refining systems, pre-pasteurization units, orange oil refining and polishing separators, NFC orange juice sterilizers, homogenizers, vacuum deaeration systems, aseptic filling machines, CIP cleaning systems, juice storage tanks, automatic control systems, and complete piping, valve, and pump systems.
6. The orange juice extracting system offers orange pulp recovery, juice cell sac size can also be customized, the juice pulp and sac from this system are primarily used for producing NFC orange juice.
7.  The capacity of NFC orange juice processing line is from 500L/H-10000L/H, the end products of orange juice can be filled into glass bottles, plastic bottles, and gable top cartons.
8. The whole NFC orange juice production line is made of SUS304 food-grade material, flexibly designed to meet different clients’ capacities, packaging containers and budgets.

The shelf life of orange juice depends mainly on the processing method, packaging type, storage temperature,

The NFC orange juice production process starts with fresh orange receiving, washing, sorting, and conveying, followed by citrus extraction, peel oil separation, juice refining and pulp adjustment, pre-pasteurization, heat treatment, homogenization and vacuum deaeration, cooling, and filling, and CIP cleaning, creating a complete production system that preserves the natural flavor, aroma, color, and nutritional quality of fresh oranges without concentration and reconstitution.

NFC orange juice processing line includes the following machines:

• Orange clapboard elevator
• Fresh orange silo
• Orange Air bubble washing machine and brush washing machine
• Orange sorting machine
• Orange size sorting machine
• Orange juice extractor and refiner unit
• Orange juice storage tank
• Orange juice separation system
• NFC orange juice homogenizer, degasser and sterilizer
• NFC orange juice bottle or carton filling machine
• CIP cleaning system for orange juice processing machine

The fresh orange silo is a bulk fruit storage and buffering system installed at the front end of an orange juice processing plant. It is designed to temporarily store fresh oranges and provide a continuous, controlled fruit supply to downstream equipment such as washers, sorters and juice extractors, especially in medium and large-capacity lines.

Fresh orange silos are typically designed with food-grade stainless steel or coated carbon steel structures and smooth internal surfaces to prevent fruit damage.

Dust, silt, residual pesticides, microorganisms, etc. will be attached to the surface of the fresh oranges, they should be cleaned before processing. The raw oranges are transported to the bubble washing equipment through running water and soaked in water containing 0.1% potassium permanganate solution for several minutes. Use a floating washing machine Cleaning, using hydraulic conveying method to transport the raw fruit, clean thoroughly, clean and not hurt the material. Under the impulse of the conveying water flow, the oranges follow the water flow to the next process, with a spray cleaning device, so that the sand and gravel will settle to the bottom layer and be drained away. The sprayed water is sprayed with cleaning water containing 10-30mg/kg of chlorine and then rinsed with clean water.

The spoilage orange will bring a spoilage taste to the product, and it is also the source of microbial contamination. The fruit disease and pests are the cause of the bitter taste and sometimes deteriorate the color of the orange juice. Therefore, the orange should be fresh, good, juicy, less fiber, and fully mature. Wound, pests fruits and rotten orange must be sorted out.

The orange need to be sort into 3-5 grades according to the different diameter before feeding into squeezer type orange juice extractor. The grading machine is roller type and is widely used for grading or classifying orange, lime, lemon, grapefruit and other fruit vegetables. The capacity is 3-10 tons per hour.

Citrus juice usually changes its flavor during the process of squeezing it. This is caused by the crushing of the white coat, sacs, and seeds, as well as the mixing of bitter ingredients and fruity essential oils. Usually, the crushing squeezing method is not used, but the method of squeezing the juice one by one, so that a large amount of the above-mentioned substances can be prevented from being mixed into the juice. A bowl-type juicer can be used to squeeze the juice. The citrus is first classified according to size and transported to the squeezing cup of the bowl-type juicer for squeezing. The juicer can separate the pulp, seed, oil and juice well. The juice yield of fruit juice is affected by factors such as the texture of the fruit, the maturity of the variety, the method of squeezing the juice, etc. The juice yield is usually 40%-50%.

After citrus extraction, the raw juice usually contains pulp fibers, peel fragments, seeds, and other suspended particles. The scrape refiner helps achieve the desired juice texture, stability, and appearance by controlling the size and distribution of pulp particles.

During operation, the orange juice passes through a specially designed refining screen under controlled conditions. The equipment separates fine juice and desirable pulp components from larger particles, improving product consistency while minimizing juice loss and maintaining high yield. In a complete NFC orange juice processing line, the orange juice refiner is typically installed after the citrus juice extraction system and before the juice sterilization system.

Main Functions of Orange Juice Refiner:

• Remove unwanted particles such as seeds, peel residues, and coarse fibers from extracted orange juice
• Control pulp content to produce different types of orange juice, including high-pulp, medium-pulp, or low-pulp products
• Improve juice texture and mouthfeel by achieving uniform pulp distribution
• Enhance product stability by reducing excessive sedimentation during storage
• Increase juice recovery rate while minimizing valuable juice loss

The orange juice disc separator is a high-speed centrifugal separation machine used in orange juice processing plants to remove fine pulp, suspended solids, oil, and insoluble impurities from extracted juice. It plays a critical role in improving juice clarity, stability, and downstream processing efficiency, especially in medium and large-capacity orange juice production lines.

Disc separators are widely applied in NFC orange juice, clarified juice, and juice concentrate production.

Homogenization: Homogenization is a special process in the manufacture of turbid orange juice. Through the homogenization equipment, the suspended orange pulp contained in the juice are broken, so that the pectin and pulp are evenly distributed in the juice, preventing precipitation and producing a suitable taste. Use a double stage high-pressure homogenizer with a pressure of 20-30Mpa.

Degassing: Degassing is a critical step in NFC orange juice processing line to remove dissolved oxygen and improve product quality and shelf life. During orange juice extraction, homogenization, pumping, and transportation, air can become incorporated into the juice. The presence of oxygen may accelerate oxidation reactions, resulting in vitamin C degradation, flavor loss, color deterioration, and reduced nutritional quality. In NFC orange juice production, vacuum degassing is generally used, and the orange juice is sprayed in the form of mist in the degasser under vacuum conditions to remove oxygen.

Sterilization/Pasteurization: The purpose of the NFC orange pasteurization/sterilization is to inactivate harmful microorganisms, reduce spoilage bacteria, and control enzyme activity while preserving the natural flavor, color, aroma, and nutritional components of fresh orange juice.

Different preservation technologies can be applied in NFC orange juice production depending on the required shelf life, packaging type, and distribution conditions. The three common methods include HTST pasteurization, HPP (High Pressure Processing), and aseptic UHT sterilization:

—High-temperature short-time (HTST) pasteurization orange juice: The orange juice is rapidly heated to approximately 90–95°C and held for 15–30 seconds, then quickly cooled to room temperature to reduce heat damage and maintain fresh juice characteristics. A tubular heat exchanger or plate heat exchanger pasteurizer is typically used for NFC orange juice processing due to its efficient heat transfer, hygienic design, and gentle treatment. The pasteurization process helps to eliminate pathogenic microorganisms and reduce microbial load, extend refrigerated shelf life, inactivate enzymes that may affect juice quality and preserve natural orange flavor and nutritional value.

—HPP orange juice: processing uses high hydrostatic pressure technology instead of traditional heat treatment. The packaged orange juice is exposed to high pressure, typically 400–600 MPa, to inactivate microorganisms while maintaining the natural flavor, aroma, color, vitamins, and fresh-squeezed characteristics of NFC orange juice. HPP technology is mainly applied to orange juice filled into HPP-compatible plastic bottles, pouches, or containers. After HPP treatment, the product must be stored, transported, and distributed under refrigerated cold chain conditions.

—Aseptic UHT sterilized orange juice: The orange juice is sterilized using a UHT (Ultra High Temperature) sterilization system, where it is heated to approximately 135–140°C for a few seconds before being rapidly cooled and filled into sterile packaging. The sterilization process provides longer shelf life without refrigeration, safe storage and transportation at ambient temperature, stable product quality during distribution.

NFC orange juice can be filled into different types of containers according to the customer’s product positioning, shelf-life requirements, and distribution conditions. The selection of packaging technology is closely related to the juice preservation method, including refrigerated filling after pasteurization or aseptic filling after UHT sterilization:

1. Bottled NFC Orange Juice

Bottled NFC orange juice is commonly used for fresh and chilled juice products or HPP orange juice. After HTST pasteurization, the orange juice is rapidly cooled and filled into hygienically cleaned plastic bottles or glass bottles under controlled conditions.

Common packaging options include:

• PET bottles
• HDPE bottles
• Glass bottles

2. Cartoned NFC Orange Juice (Aseptic Carton Packaging)

Aseptic carton packaging is suitable for NFC orange juice products requiring longer shelf life without refrigeration. The orange juice is first treated by a UHT sterilization system, typically heated to approximately 135–140°C for several seconds, then rapidly cooled and filled into sterile aseptic cartons.

3. 220L Aseptic Bag-in-Drum NFC Orange Juice

220L aseptic bag packaging is widely used for industrial bulk NFC orange juice storage and transportation. This packaging solution is mainly applied for juice manufacturers, beverage factories, and ingredient suppliers who use NFC orange juice as a raw material for further processing.

The orange juice is sterilized through a UHT process and then filled into sterile 220L aseptic bags placed inside protective drums.