I recently read the book 'Squeezed: what you don't know about orange juice,' by Alissa Hamilton.
'Squeezed' depicts the history, technologies, and controversies behind what has become this refreshing breakfast necessity. Here are some things I learned about oranges and orange juice:
-The orange is a human invention, an ancient cross between the pomelo and the tangerine.
-Before the late 1940's, orange juice was canned or squeezed fresh. Canned orange juice tasted awful. The US government invested in researching technologies to preserve orange juice, so that troops would consume enough vitamin c. The crucial breakthrough for producing concentrate occurred after World War II.
-Florida growers found themselves with massive orange surpluses in the early 50's. They shipped electric juicers to housewives throughout America, greatly boosting orange consumption. In the 1960's, concentrated and pre-mixed orange juices were marketed in order to quench America's growing thirst for orange juice while simultaneously saving housewives' time.
-Nowadays, the majority of oranges are grown in Brazil.
-To create your typical "fresh, not from concentrate" orange juice, orange juice is extracted, pasteurized and shipped in giant cooled tankers across the world. Meanwhile, third party companies extract "essence" oils from the oranges' peels and pulp. Different breeds of oranges are often used to create "flavor packs," without which your orange juice would have no aroma and little taste.
-Coke and Pepsi Co control the vast majority of orange juice sales in the world; Coke owns Tropicana, while Pepsi owns Minute Maid. They concentrate their efforts on branding, and have divested from owning orchards or processing plants.