The quality of orange juice processed by coupling crossflow microfiltration and osmotic evaporation

Crossflow microfiltration (CFM) and osmotic evaporation (OE) were implemented on a semi‐industrial pilot scale to obtain clarified orange juice concentrates at 450 and 620 g kg^?1 of total soluble solids. The characteristics of the juice were then assessed and compared with fresh juice and commercial concentrates. With CFM, most aroma compounds and vitamin C remained in the permeate while the more apolar compounds such as terpenic hydrocarbons and carotenoids were strongly retained by the membrane. With OE, significant losses of vitamin C and aroma compounds occurred at first, with losses progressively decreasing during treatment. Pre‐conditioning the membrane and cold regeneration of the brine reduced losses drastically, with the aroma composition tending towards that of the initial juice. The quality of pulp, a blend of the CFM retentate and OE concentrate, was high and much closer to that of the initial fresh juice than to the commercial thermal concentrate.