Question

The orange juice is deaerated to preserve vitamin...........

• A. D
• B. A
• C. K
• D. C

Hint:

Whenever deaeration of citrus juices is mentioned, the immediate target is always the protection of Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid).
This process also helps reduce foaming and prevents oxidized off-flavors during storage.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Deaeration is a mechanical process in beverage manufacturing where dissolved and entrapped oxygen is removed from the juice under vacuum.
Key Principle:
Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) is highly susceptible to non-enzymatic, oxidative degradation in the presence of dissolved molecular oxygen.

Step 2: Detailed Explation:
Orange juice is an excellent source of L-ascorbic acid (Vitamin C).
When orange juice is extracted, substantial amounts of oxygen from the air become dissolved in the liquid.
Under aerobic conditions, ascorbic acid is oxidized to dehydroascorbic acid.
This intermediate compound is unstable and rapidly undergoes irreversible hydrolysis to form 2,3-diketogulonic acid, which has no vitamin C activity.
This degradation is further accelerated by heat during pasteurization.
To prevent this nutritiol loss and avoid associated oxidative off-flavors and browning, orange juice is subjected to vacuum deaeration prior to thermal processing.
Other vitamins, such as Vitamin D, Vitamin A, and Vitamin K, are either fat-soluble or not present in significant quantities in orange juice, making Vitamin C the primary target of this protective preservation technique.

Step 3: Fil Answer
Thus, deaeration is carried out specifically to preserve Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) from oxidative degradation in orange juice.