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How is fruit juice concentrate made by evaporation?

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lime processing — fruit processing Limes being prepared for processing into juice, Tecoman, Mexico.

In the context of fruit processing, the production of juice concentrate involves removing water from the juice to increase the concentration of soluble solids.1

To achieve this, the clarified juice is passed through an evaporator, an industrial apparatus designed to convert liquid into vapor. By vaporizing and eliminating water, the evaporator increases the level of soluble solids in the juice, typically bringing it to 70 percent by weight.12

For retail distribution, this concentrate is often adjusted to 45 percent dissolved solids, allowing the consumer to create a finished product with approximately 12 percent soluble solids through a three-to-one dilution. Industrial systems may utilize multiple-effect evaporators, which use the vapor produced in one unit to heat a succeeding unit to improve efficiency.132