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Citrus Juice Processing Plants
Fruit & Vegetable Processing

Citrus Juice Processing Plants

A citrus juice plant is built around the extractor: it has to squeeze out juice without pressing bitter peel oil and pith into it, and it normally takes the peel oil off as a separate product.

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Orange sorting and sizing conveyor line with blue steel platforms and orange railings at a citrus processing plant in Florida

Citrus Juice Processing Plants

The fruit may be oranges, grapefruit, mandarins, lemons or limes, and the type, size and maturity of what the growers deliver decide which extractor suits and how much juice each tonne gives. Fruit is graded by size before extraction, the juice passes through a finisher that holds back seed and skin, and a heat treatment follows. A buyer has to settle the product (chilled or aseptic not-from-concentrate juice, or concentrate), whether peel oil is recovered, the fruit supply across the season and the pack type. Peel is the largest part of what is left after squeezing, so a drying, feed or disposal route is part of the plant. Fruit of a tropical orange often stays green-skinned when ripe, so the colour of the peel is a poor guide to ripeness at sorting.

Citrus juice sits inside a fruit whose peel holds oil, and whose seeds and skin carry bitter compounds, so the extractor is the central choice. In-line cup extractors squeeze the whole fruit between two cups and separate juice, peel and core in one stroke; they handle large volumes but need fruit graded to a narrow size band. Rotary reamers work on halved fruit and suit lemons, limes and smaller lines. Presses cope with irregular fruit at lower throughput. Peel oil sits in small sacs in the skin; it is released by rasping the whole fruit or by the extractor itself, washed off with water, and recovered from the emulsion by centrifuge. Oil left in the juice gives a harsh, bitter taste, so oil recovery and juice quality are linked. The finisher removes seed, pith and pulp pieces, which is where much of the bitterness sits. Heat treatment then protects the juice and stops the cloud from settling out. Not-from-concentrate juice is held in chilled or aseptic tanks, while a concentrate goes to an evaporator with aroma recovery. Peel and pulp leave the line as a wet residue, and a press, dryer or drain-off is sized to its volume.

Indicative Capacity Range

  • 500–10,000 kg fruit/hour

Key Specification Inputs

Peel oil handling, bitterness control, juice yield, pasteurisation.

Technical Specifications

TechnologyCitrus juice extraction line with peel oil recovery, finishing and heat treatment
Extraction PrincipleCup extractor, rotary reamer or press, chosen by fruit type, size range and volume
Fruit PreparationWashing, sorting and size grading ahead of extraction
Peel Oil RecoveryOil wash-off, centrifuge separation and polishing, where oil is a product
FinishingFinisher with changeable screens for seed, pith and pulp removal
DebitteringOptional step for bitter varieties; not needed for all fruit
Heat TreatmentPlate or tubular pasteuriser; steam or hot water, chosen by local fuel cost
Juice StorageChilled or aseptic tanks for not-from-concentrate juice
Contact MaterialFood-grade stainless steel and acid-resistant seals on juice-contact parts
AutomationManual or PLC control, with temperature records at pasteurisation
Residue HandlingPeel press, dryer or conveyor for the solid stream

Typical Process Route

1

Receiving, Washing and Size Grading

Fruit is washed and graded by size, because a cup extractor needs a narrow size band to squeeze properly and fruit of mixed sizes loses juice or crushes peel into it.

2

Sorting and Maturity Check

Damaged and mouldy fruit is removed. Fruit is also checked for sugar-to-acid balance, since lots picked at different times can taste very different.

3

Juice Extraction

Fruit passes through cup extractors, reamers or presses, which split juice from peel and core without pressing the pith.

4

Peel Oil Recovery

Oil released from the skin is washed off and separated from the water in a centrifuge. It is sold on or discarded, but not left to drift into the juice.

5

Finishing

A finisher removes seed, pith and skin fragments from the pulpy juice. Check seed and skin carry-over here, because bitterness comes with them.

6

Debittering or Deoiling, Where Needed

Juice from bitter varieties may need a debittering step, and juice with high oil is deoiled under vacuum before heating.

7

Pasteurisation

A short heat treatment preserves the juice and holds the cloud. Over-heating spoils the fresh flavour, so time and temperature are controlled.

8

Concentration or Chilled Storage

Juice for concentrate goes to an evaporator, ideally with aroma recovery. Not-from-concentrate juice is held chilled or under aseptic conditions.

9

Filling and Peel Residue Handling

Juice is filled hot or aseptically. Peel and pulp are pressed, dried or carted away before they sour.

Process & Equipment Modules

  • Fruit washer and size grader
  • Sorting table
  • Cup extractor or rotary reamer
  • Peel oil recovery unit with centrifuge
  • Finisher with changeable screens
  • Deoiler or debittering unit, where needed
  • Pasteuriser
  • Chilled or aseptic storage tanks
  • Evaporator with aroma recovery, optional
  • Filling line
  • Peel press and dryer
  • PLC panel

Plant Output

Citrus juice, not from concentrateCitrus concentrate, where evaporation is includedCold-pressed peel oilPeel, pulp and molasses for feed or further use

Applications

  • Not-from-concentrate orange juice in cartons and bottles
  • Orange, grapefruit and mandarin concentrate for bulk sale or reconstitution
  • Lemon and lime juice for cooking, drinks and food manufacture
  • Cold-pressed peel oil for flavour and fragrance buyers
  • Citrus pulp cells for juice drinks with visible pulp
  • Dried citrus peel and pulp for animal feed
  • Citrus molasses from pressed peel liquor

Key Features

  • Extractor Matched to the Fruit

    Cup extractors, reamers and presses each suit different fruit and volumes, so the choice follows the crop and not a catalogue default.

  • Size Grading Before Extraction

    A grader ahead of the extractor keeps yield up and keeps oil and pith out of the juice.

  • Peel Oil Recovery Loop

    Oil is washed off, centrifuged and polished as a saleable product, and it is kept out of the juice.

  • Finisher That Holds Back Seed and Skin

    A finisher with changeable screens limits the seed and skin carry-over that brings bitterness.

  • Peel Handling at Plant Scale

    A press, dryer or hauling route sized to the peel stream, which is the largest solid output of the line.

Country Pages for Citrus Juice Processing Plants

This product is listed on the pages of the countries below, each with its own enquiry route. Where Kadali has no office in a country, enquiries are handled from the Accra office.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What information is needed to size Citrus Juice Processing Plants?
The fruit types and their size range, tonnes per day and weeks of supply, how much juice your own fruit gives, the product (juice or concentrate), whether peel oil is to be sold, the pack type and the operating hours. Juice content differs by citrus type and by maturity, so a trial on local fruit gives the sizing figure better than a book value.
What capacity range does Citrus Juice Processing Plants cover?
The indicative capacity range is 500–10,000 kg fruit/hour. It is stated on a fruit basis per hour, so restate your own volume on that basis and say how many hours a day the plant will run.
Which extractor suits my fruit?
Cup extractors give high throughput on oranges and grapefruit, but they need size-graded fruit. Reamers take halved lemons, limes and small fruit at lower volume. Presses handle irregular fruit at lower throughput and yield. Match the extractor to the crop and the hourly volume, and avoid choosing by price alone.
Why does citrus juice turn bitter?
Seeds and skin carry bitter compounds, and over-pressed pith and excess peel oil carry them into the juice. Size grading, an extractor set not to crush the peel, a finisher that removes seed and skin and oil recovery all keep bitterness low. Some varieties develop bitterness after extraction and may need a debittering step.
Is it worth recovering the peel oil?
Peel oil sells to flavour and fragrance buyers, and recovery also keeps it out of the juice. Whether it pays depends on fruit volume and on whether a buyer exists within reach. Without a buyer, you still need a way to separate and discard it, so the equipment may be needed anyway.
What is done with the peel and pulp?
Peel is the largest part of the residue. It can be pressed and dried for animal feed, treated to make citrus molasses or taken away wet. Choose the route before the plant is sized, because it fixes the size of the press or dryer.
Why do two lots of the same orange taste different?
Acid falls as the fruit matures on the tree, while sugar rises, so the sugar-to-acid balance reflects picking date. Test each lot at receiving, keep lots from different picking dates apart where you can, and blend them if your market expects a steady taste from one carton to the next.
Should I make juice or concentrate?
Not-from-concentrate juice keeps fresh flavour but needs chilled or aseptic storage and carries water in transport. Concentrate cuts that volume but needs an evaporator with aroma recovery. See fruit juice concentration plants for the evaporator side of the plant.
How do I request a proposal for Citrus Juice Processing Plants?
Use the Request a Quote page and describe your project. Settle the product form (juice or concentrate), whether peel oil is to be recovered, the fruit supply and the pack type before asking for a quotation.

Enquire about Citrus Juice Processing Plants

Send your raw material, target product and capacity to Kadali Africa Ventures for a technical proposal.

Request a QuoteWhatsApp