Bottled water production using the condensed water from a concentrated orange juice plant

Evaporated water is produced during the juice concentration process by separation of the condensed water in the evaporator. This evaporated water is fully, but poorly used, for example, washing fruits. Considering it as a fraction of the fruit itself, this study proposed its use as “fruit water” bottled for human consumption. Evaporated water samples were characterized according to the following parameters established by the Brazilian technical regulations for bottled water: inorganic, organic substances, pesticides, microorganisms, and physical properties. The results show that the only parameters that exceed the maximum permitted levels were apparent color and turbidity. Then, tests were conducted in laboratory and in pilot scale for evaluation of technology of the membrane separation process (MSP) for the purpose of reducing the apparent color of the evaporated water of citric juice to less than or equal to 5 units of Pt/Co and simultaneously the turbidity to less than or equal to 1 NTU. The ultrafiltration in cellulose membrane of 30 kDa at 1 bar pressure was effective in reducing the apparent color and turbidity of the recovered water from concentrate orange juice, with values ​​below the maximum allowed by law, demonstrating that this water meets Brazilian quality requirements for human consumption.