Orange juice manufacturers are grappling with sky-high prices amid a global supply shortage that could force them to turn to alternatives like mandarins.

A global shortage of oranges that sent prices soaring has prompted some orange juice manufacturers to consider turning to alternative fruits to make the breakfast staple.

…

“There are three main factors driving the soaring price of orange juice, and it’s drought, disease and demand,” Ted Jenkin, oXYGen Financial CEO and co-founder, told FOX Business.

The spike stems from declining output in Florida, which is the primary U.S. producer, and disease and extreme weather events in Brazil, which accounts for about 70% of global production.

Orange trees in Brazil have been suffering from a disease known as citrus greening. Once infected, citrus trees produce fruits that are partially green, small, misshapen and bitter. There is no cure, and trees typically die within a few years of infection.

The disease, along with severe heat waves and drought that occurred during the pivotal phases of flowering and early fruit formation, have put Brazil on track to register one of its worst orange harvests in more than three decades, according to a new report published by Fundecitrus and CitrusBR.

…

In the past, orange juice makers have avoided long-term shortages by freezing juice stock, which can be preserved and used for up to two years, according to the Financial Times. However, even that frozen stock is dissipating because of a three-year shortage build-up.

Cools said that manufacturers may have to consider using a different fruit, like mandarins, because their trees are more resistant to the greening disease. However, that could be a lengthy process.

  • SouthFresh@lemmy.mlEnglish
    1291·
    6 months ago

    The currently sold-in-stores orange juice tastes almost nothing like actual orange juice already.

    • Obi@sopuli.xyzEnglish
      22·
      6 months ago

      Right I have no idea how they make that stuff but I just always assumed it contains little actual orange.

      • Jessica@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
        80·
        6 months ago

        There’s a dirty secret in your glass of orange juice. Even though it says “not from concentrate,” it probably sat in a large vat for up to year with all the oxygen removed from it. This allows it to be preserved and dispensed all year-round. Taking out all the O2 also gets rid of all the flavor. So the juice makers have to add the flavors back in using preformulated recipes full of chemicals called “flavor packs.” Mmm, delicious, fresh-squeezed ethyl-butyrate!

        https://consumerist.com/2011/07/29/oj-flavor-packs/

        • 🇰 🌀 🇱 🇦 🇳 🇦 🇰 ℹ️@yiffit.netEnglish
          71·
          6 months ago

          The brand “simply” tastes like fresh squeezed (it also is the proper color and not that Nickelodeon neon orange), but most other brands taste more like Sunny Delight than actual orange juice.

          Simply is hella expensive tho.

          • Willy@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
            3·
            6 months ago

            you gotta try trader joes unpasteurized. nellys is pretty good too. simply rates as fine in my book, but at least its cheap.

          • RBWells@lemmy.worldEnglish
            2·
            6 months ago

            Evolution and Nelly’s are the only brands that get close, but nothing is like fresh squeezed (obviously, same thing with any citrus juice, right?) so I just make some when I want it, by squeezing some oranges. We can still get the juicing oranges here, not year round though.

            • 🇰 🌀 🇱 🇦 🇳 🇦 🇰 ℹ️@yiffit.netEnglish
              1·
              6 months ago

              We can still get the juicing oranges here, not year round though.

              Now I am wondering if it could also just be that I am used to a specific type of orange (navel mostly but I prefer Cuties) and perhaps the kind of orange typically used in premade OJ just doesn’t taste the same? 🤔 Like how a cider apple isn’t something you’d wanna eat by itself, but they’re necessary for making apple cider (along with other apples).

              • RBWells@lemmy.worldEnglish
                2·
                6 months ago

                Valencia are good juicing oranges, but messy for eating. Navel oranges are dryer and less flavor but great to eat because so big and so easy to peel and section.

                Fresh orange juice is just a whole different thing, it’s not like the bottled ones. If you juiced the navel oranges it would still taste more like the fresh juice from juicing oranges than the bottled juice does.

          • cole@lemdro.idEnglish
            1·
            6 months ago

            Costco orange juice is where it’s at, only thing worth buying

    • GreatAlbatrossAEnglish
      15·
      6 months ago

      Generic orange juice is a commodified product (ie, you can order a standard 1 tonne of frozen orange juice whenever).

      The freezing process destroys a lot of the flavour, so some rind extract is included to bulk up the taste.

      Freshly squeezed still has the original flavour, and not the added rind flavour.

      (I didn’t look this up, mind, it’s possibly I’ve just repeated an old wives tale!)

      • Aolley@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        6 months ago

        can I just use the zester to get some of the acidic bite back into a fresh sqeeuzed thing?

        • Soggy@lemmy.worldEnglish
          2·
          6 months ago

          The zest of an orange isn’t particularly acidic. A bit of lime juice or straight citric acid would do it, or use a different variety or less-ripe orange.

        • Fondots@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          6 months ago

          The zest has a very concentrated flavor, but not really any acidity.

          However, ook into “super juice” it had a moment in fancy cocktail circles somewhat recently as a way to get more citrus juice from less fruit and also a product that will last longer in the fridge without the taste degrading.

          Basically you peel your citrus, mix the peels with some powdered citric and malic acid (the ratio of acids depends on which citrus, I think lemon juice gets straight citric, lime and orange get a mix) and let them sit for a while, the acid pulls some of the oils and such out of the peels making “oleo citrate”, then you blend the oleo citrate and peels with water and strain out the solids and you’re left with something that is nearly identical to actual juice (and you could, of course, mix in the actual juice from the fruits as well)

          I feel like there is probably something there you could work with to punch up your juice a bit. Maybe if you’re able to separate out the oleo citrate you could use that as sort of a citrus extract. Or if you just want more acidity and don’t need the flavor enhanced you could just add a bit of acid to the juice.