Minute Maid is one of the brands that dominate the orange juice industry. You can find it in nearly every grocery store and supermarket, sitting pretty in the pantry, or chilling in your refrigerator.
Being a ubiquitous brand, you may find yourself curious about Minute Maid orange juice. I’ve put together some quick facts about it. Here they are!
Minute Maid Orange Juice
Minute Maid orange juice was made in 1946 to supply the US Army with vitamin C but was released for public use instead. It is the first-ever frozen concentrated orange in the market and was named Minute Maid due to its convenient preparation. Additionally, Minute Maid is non-GMO and sourced from 100% real orange juice.
If you’re eager to know more about the story behind Minute Maid orange juice, keep reading!
Is Minute Maid 100% Real Orange Juice?
Minute Maid is marketed as 100% orange juice with no added sugar, preservatives, or coloring. It is purely sourced from squeezed oranges that are then processed to extend shelf life.
Some of Minute Maid’s orange juice products are pasteurized while others are further dehydrated to turn into concentrate.
What Is The History Of Minute Maid?
Minute Maid was released to the commercial market in 1946, but it was originally a war supply product for the US Army troops during WWII.
At the time, the US government was eager to supply their soldiers on the frontline with vitamin C. However, this feat seemed impossible because the orange juice tended to go bad during transport.
To combat this, USDA scientists created a method to dehydrate orange juice and lengthen its shelf life without making it bland and tasteless.
Richard Stetson Morse utilized the dehydration technique and successfully invented orange juice concentrate. His company won the bid for the US order of 500,000 pounds of powdered orange juice.
However, before the products could be shipped, WWII ended. Morse released his new product to the market, making waves due to its novelty and convenience, and renamed his company from Florida Foods Corporation to Minute Maid.
How Did Minute Maid Get Its Name?
Minute Maid earned its name because of its convenient and easy-to-do preparation. This was an idea of a Boston marketing firm responsible for the public relations of the brand.
Being a frozen concentrate pioneer, you can prepare Minute Maid orange juice simply by adding water.
What’s Wrong With Minute Maid Orange Juice?
Minute Maid sources its oranges from the US but also buys a part of its supply from Brazil. There is nothing wrong with this practice, especially as the demand is greater than the supply.
However, the problem lies with the oranges imported from Brazil. Unlike local Florida oranges that have little to no chemicals, those sourced from overseas are sprayed with fungicides.
Due to this, Minute Maid had low levels of carbendazim, the fungicide Brazil used to combat mold. This chemical is not approved for use in the country which is a cause for concern.
Coca-Cola itself reported the problem to rectify the mistake in their Minute Maid subsidiary. However, the FDA found only a small amount of fungicide in the orange juice.
Carbendazim concentration in Minute Maid poses no problem at all because it is only about 35 parts per billion. This amount falls far below the level that warrants concern.
Is Minute Maid Orange Juice Non-Gmo?
Minute Maid orange juice is non-GMO and only comes from fresh, tree-grown oranges. They do not include chemically-engineered citrus in the formula.
You can easily determine if the Minute Maid orange juice you have is non-GMO by checking the label to ensure that it’s 100% organic.
What Happens If Minute Maid Juice Is Not Refrigerated?
Minute Maid orange juice will go bad if left unrefrigerated, especially if you bought it from the freezer section of the grocery store.
If you leave Minute Maid orange juice opened and exposed to room temperature, it will go bad within two hours.
Is Minute Maid Vegan?
Minute Maid has several products that are animal-friendly, but not all of them are made with vegans in mind.
Orange juice containing vitamin D from this brand is not vegan-formulated. They use vitamin D3 which comes from fish oils and egg yolk as their source of vitamin D
How Much Sugar Is In Minute Maid Orange Juice?
Minute Maid orange juice has 24 grams of total sugar which comes from the fresh oranges used in the formula. Their orange juice products do not have any sugar additives and are 100% organic.
If you want to learn more about orange juice, you can see our related posts on Tropicana orange juice, Simply Orange, and Sunny D orange juice.
Conclusion
Minute Maid orange juice is the first-ever frozen concentrated orange juice intended as a US Army supply for vitamin C in 1946. However, WWII ended before the products were shipped and it became a commercial product instead.
It is made from 100% orange juice containing 24 grams of natural sugars without chemical additives. However, not all Minute Maid products are vegan-friendly because some contain vitamin D3.