Understanding the molecular changes in the key aroma compounds of NFC orange juice during storage under aseptic conditions

Orange juice is among the favorite juices consumed in Germany. However, its overall aroma undergoes a rapid change during storage, even at low temperatures. A comparison of the changes in concentrations of key juice aroma compounds over time showed that in particular the rapid loss of saturated aldehydes, such as octanal, nonanal and decanal as well as 1-penten-3-one are responsible for the decrease in the aroma quality of orange juice. Systematic model studies suggested that besides the oxidation into the corresponding acids, a formation of the 2 substituted thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acids by a reaction with cysteine are the main causes for the loss in aldehydes during chilled storage.