Microbiological Safety of Citrus Fruit for Juice Processing

Fruit products such as citrus juices have traditionally been considered "low-risk" with respect to foodborne illness. High levels of acidity, characteristic of citrus juices, have not typically supported the growth of human pathogens. Furthermore, because almost all citrus juices undergo significant food processing steps such as concentration, freezing, aseptic packaging, and/or pasteurization, the overall food safety risk to Americans consuming citrus juices has been quite minimal throughout the 50-year history of mass citrus juice marketing. However, in the last 5 years, a number of high profile cases of foodborne illness have been linked to the consumption of fruit juices, particularly apple and orange juices. In most of these cases, the juice was consumed in a fresh (non-pasteurized) form. Fresh juice is preferred by some consumers who view it as a more natural product with superior flavor characteristics. However, it is clear that fresh juice presents a potential food safety risk, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), who is charged with ensuring the safety of fresh juices, has little actual data available to assess the extent of these risks. Successful completion of this project, which will extensively evaluate the microbial contamination of oranges entering a juice extraction facility over the course of 2 fruit seasons, will provide data to both fresh and processed juice producers regarding the potential for further foodborne illness associated with citrus juice. This research will directly impact an industry with almost $10 billion in consumer sales, and provide information from which science-based food safety regulations can be formed.