Making Juice

As with all juices, the fruit or vegetable starts life in fields or orchards.

Local growers cultivate the produce and pick the fruit or vegetables, often by hand but also mechanically. Then, the fruit or vegetables go straight to a processing facility where they are inspected for quality.

Once the juice is squeezed, it is pasteurised to ensure it stays fresh for longer and to lock in natural nutrients for premium quality.

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    Fruit and/or vegetables harvested for production

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    Fruit and/or vegetables are taken to a processing plant

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    Fruit and/or vegetables are processed to preserve its vitamins and nutritional content

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    Juice pasteurised and bottled to keep it fresh for longer

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    Enjoyed by children and adults Australia wide

Juice from concentrate goes through a few more steps.

Depending on the technique, the juice is either heated by steam so the water in the juice evaporates, or ‘ultra-filtrated’, and then concentrated using reverse osmosis. Reverse osmosis is a purification process that uses a partially permeable membrane/filter to remove large unwanted particles by applying pressure.

To bring the 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. The measurement of this is what we call standard brix. Finally, the juice is pasteurised before packaging

DID YOU KNOW? Brix is the sugar content of a fluid and measured in degrees. One degree brix is 1g sugar in 100g of the fluid.

  • 1

    Fruit and/or vegetables harvested for production

  • 2

    Fruit and/or vegetables are taken to a processing plant

  • 3

    Juice heated by steam, or ‘ultra-filtrated’, and concentrated

  • 4

    Water is added to reconstitute the product to an agreed standard

  • 5

    The juice is pasteurised before packaging

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    Enjoyed by children and adults Australia wide

Fruit and vegetable drinks contain a lower juice content than fruit juices and the juice content is between 5% and <96% juice. Juice drinks are made from juice concentrate which has been reconstituted with water, as well as additional water, and also might include other ingredients such as sweeteners and flavourings. Lower juice content and additional ingredients distinguish juice drinks from juice with no added sugar.

Ingredients

  • Fruit and Vegetables

    Fruit and/or vegetable juices are the main ingredients in juices and juice drinks.

  • Water

    Water is used to reconstitute juice concentrate as well as an ingredient in juice drinks.

  • Antioxidant

    Antioxidants prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting against deterioration caused by oxidation and they are sometimes used in both juices and juice drinks.

  • Acidity Regulator

    Acidity Regulators can be used to supplement or mimic the natural acidity and sour tastes of fruit flavours but more importantly, they are also used to alter the pH of foods.

  • Flavourings

    Flavour ingredients are sometimes used to provide, modify or enhance the flavor of the juice or juice drink.

  • Sugar

    Sugar is sometimes added to provide additional sweetness as well as to balance the tartness of some juice ingredient.

Nutritional Goodness

Fruit and vegetable juices have a role to play in the Australian diet by contributing to the recommended daily amount of fruit and vegetables.

Learn More

Serving Sizes

A serving of juice with no added sugar, according to the Australian Dietary Guidelines, is 125mL.

The Australian Dietary Guidelines state that an occasional 125ml glass of fruit juice with no added sugar is equivalent to one serve of fruit. Without juice, many Australians would not consume their recommended daily intake of fruit.

If you want to lose weight, sticking to 125mL of juice with no added sugar will help balance your energy intake.

Economics & Demographics

The juice industry currently contributes $800 million to the Australian economy, supporting approximately 5,000 full-time- equivalent jobs. While the industry has faced a number of challenges in recent years, the industry is a very important part of regional Australia.

For every 1 direct employee in the beverages manufacturing industry (including juice), there are 4.9 jobs required elsewhere in the economy to produce and retail beverages.

Product Segmentation of fruit juices 2013-14
(percentage of total production value)

Source: ACIL Allen, IBISWorld

Economic Contribution of beverages manufacturing by product, 2013-14
($ million and per cent of total)

Source: IBIS, 2014 and ACIL Allen Consulting, 2015
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Who buys juice?

According to Roy Morgan Single Source, men (27.6%) are slightly more likely than women (26.3%) to consume packaged fruit juice, with young people of both genders being the most avid consumers. Among men, consumption peaks among 18-24 year-olds (34.6%), while the 65+ bracket is least likely to drink it (25.5%).

Among women, 38.8% of girls aged 14-17 consume fruit juice/drinks in an average seven days, putting them well ahead of other age groups – particularly women aged 65 or older, 19.9% of whom partake.

Industry People

Brian Harris

Brian grew up on a citrus farm in the Hills District and managed his parent’s farm from a young age. His Central Coast story started when he purchased a Mangrove Mountain citrus farm in 1965. Back then, he sold oranges and lemons through an agent and to fresh juice manufacturers in Sydney, Gosford, and Parramatta.

Source: Eastcoast Beverages Continue Reading

Ross Hitchcock

Ross Hitchcock’s farming story goes back to the 1800s, when his family had farmland, including citrus trees, in the Hills and Hawkesbury districts. Ross’s grandfather moved to Kulnura on the Central Coast and purchased the current farm in 1936. The property had some rich history including an old water-powered sawmill on site.

Source: Eastcoast Beverages Continue Reading

Reg Bennet

Reg Bennett’s farm is a story about family and community. His father bought 80 acres of prime Mangrove Mountain land in 1936 to grow oranges and lemons. He cleared 14 acres by hand with a combination of gelignite and hard work. After the war, bulldozers finished the job. Today, Reg and his brother are successful second generation farmers with 40 acres each.

Source: Eastcoast Beverages Continue Reading

Sustainability

Container Deposit Schemes

The ABCL and Juice Australia have supported the implementation of Container Deposit Schemes [CDS] across Australia. Currently, South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory have a CDS. Western Australia is in the process of adopting a CDS with the other States expected to follow in the coming years. Learn More

Sustainability Working Group

Juice Australia and the ABCL have formed a Sustainability Working Group to the increasing need for the organisation to formulate and communicate a Sustainability strategy on behalf of the non-alcoholic beverages industry. Learn More

Resources

Factsheets

ABCL Membership

The Australian Beverages Council Ltd [ABCL] is the peak body representing the non-alcoholic beverage industry. Our Membership is comprised of small, medium-sized and large companies. Collectively these companies produce over 95% of the industry’s volume. You can read our Member Benefits Factsheet, or click on the ‘learn more’ button below to visit our Become a Member page.

Learn More