Segurança microbiológica na industrialização de suco de laranja

Abstract

The orange juice is regarded as a product of great nutritional and economic importance in Brazil, as well as a food present in the eating habits of people all over the world. Brazil is a world leader in orange production and export of frozen concentrate orange juice (FCOJ). The total orange juice production in the 2019/20 harvest is estimated at 1.202.702 tons of FCOJ. The microorganisms commonly found on the orange juice industry process are filamentous fungi, yeasts and lactic acid bacteria, as they adapt easily to the low pH and high sugar concentration of orange juice. This bibliographic review presents the microorganisms presents in the orange juice production process, addressing microorganisms from external contamination, as well as critical points of contamination in the industry. Prospects for the control of microorganisms in the industrial process are also presented, such as Alicyclobacillus, which presents a great challenge to the orange juice processing industry, as it presents spores with high resistance to the heat treatments applied in the processing, pasteurization and evaporation.