Determination of furan levels in commercial orange juice products and its correlation to the sensory and quality characteristics

The objective of current study was to determine the furan levels in commercial orange juices (OJs) and relate to the sensory and quality characteristics of OJs. The factors among sensory and quality characteristics that showed high correlation to furan were identified. The furan levels found in 18 commercial OJs ranged from 0.59 to 27.39 ng/mL. Freshly-squeezed type OJs (n = 4) had significantly lower furan levels (4.68 ng/mL) than other OJs treated with heat processing (p < 0.05). Vitamin C content, specifically, dehydroascorbic acid showed higher correlation to the furan level in OJs (r = 0.833). A descriptive sensory analysis result revealed the different flavor profile of commercial OJs according to the processing method and added ingredient in OJs. Current approach of using sensory analysis for prediction of furan level in food products can be applied to future studies in many other food commodities.