The wide acceptance of citrus juices and other products by customers has lent to an economic stability and growth not enjoyed by other fruit industries. In typical frozen juice processing operation, harvested fruit are delivered to the plant for determination of fruit quality. Fruit may be held in storage in ventilated lath bins until needed for processing. The first step in the process requires that the fruit be washed in a water and detergent solution , after which they are rinsed with water under high pressure . Damaged fruit are removed by visual inspection, with the remainder of the fruit passing through perforated belts for grading by size so that the fruit is sent to an extractor of appropriate size.
Fruits are halved and the juice is extracted on an in-line extractor.
From 350 to 500 fruits may be juiced per minute on each extractor, with 20 or more extractors utilized in a large plant. Juice, pulp, and seeds then pass to a cylindrical perforated screen for finishing, which removes the seeds and lowers the pulp content of the juice. The juice is centrifuged to remove essential oils to be used as flavoring and scents. Some of this oil is later added after the heating procedures which would cause them to be lost. Air , which is destructive to flavor, is removed from the juice under vacuum .