Physicochemical Properties and Storage Stability of Cold‐Pressed Orange Juice

Abstract

Cold pressing is gaining popularity in juice manufacturing due to its ability to better preserve the physicochemical properties of juices. This study aimed to investigate the physicochemical characteristics and storage stability of cold‐pressed orange juice stored at room temperature (24°C) and under refrigeration (4°C). Storage at 24°C for 12 days resulted in significant reductions ( p  < 0.05) in total soluble solids and pH, whereas titratable acidity significantly increased ( p  < 0.05) compared to baseline values. The ascorbic acid content of cold‐pressed orange juice decreased significantly ( p  < 0.05), dropping by 32.59% under refrigerated temperature storage and by 80.43% under room temperature storage after 12 days. A comparison between Day 0 and Day 12 revealed no significant change in the total plate count of orange juice stored under refrigeration, whereas a statistically significant increase ( p  < 0.05) was observed in the total plate count of juice stored at room temperature. This study demonstrates that storing fresh, unprocessed cold‐pressed orange juice at a refrigerated temperature of 4°C better preserves its physicochemical properties compared to storage at room temperature.