Juices incorporating early season orange cultivars

Abstract

Orange juice is provided which includes as a component juice extracted from a very early season round orange cultivar which is not a Hamlin cultivar. The juice extracted from such very early season cultivar has sensory attributes which are superior to those of Hamlin fresh juice. The very early season juice has a Brix-to-acid ratio and a color intensity in excess of those provided by Hamlin cultivars which are harvested at the same time as the very early season cultivar. Preferred very early season cultivars are within the Seleta family or are Westin cultivars or are Ruby Nucellar cultivars.

1 . A method of preparing early season not from concentrate orange juice, comprising the steps of: 
 harvesting a very early season orange cultivar having juice with early season color of greater intensity than Hamlin orange juice while also exhibiting sensory qualities superior to the sensory qualities of Hamlin orange juice, said harvesting step including selecting a cultivar within the Seleta family of cultivars, a Westin cultivar, a Ruby Nucellar cultivar, or a combination of these very early season cultivars;    extracting juice from a volume of said very early season oranges of said harvesting step;    collecting the resulting extracted orange juice as an early season orange juice having a Color Number of at least 33 CN units; and    blending at least about 5 volume percent, based on the total volume of the orange juice, of said extracted early season orange juice with another orange juice source in order to provide a not from concentrate orange juice product having an enhanced sensory profile and a Color Number in excess of 33 CN units.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said harvesting step occurs in October or November in the Northern Hemisphere.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said blending step blends a stored orange juice as the another orange juice source.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said blending step incorporates up to about 80 volume percent of said extracted orange juice.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said blending step provides early season orange juice having a sensory green character which is less than that of Hamlin orange juice harvested at the time of said harvesting step.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said blending step provides early season orange juice having a sensory bitterness character which is less than that of Hamlin orange juice harvested at the time of said harvesting step.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said blending step provides early season orange juice having a sensory feeling factors character which is less than that of Hamlin orange juice harvested at the time of said harvesting step.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said blending step provides early season orange juice having a sensory sourness character which is less than that of Hamlin orange juice harvested at the time of said harvesting step.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said blending step provides early season orange juice having a sensory chemical notes character which is less than that of Hamlin orange juice harvested at the time of said harvesting step.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said blending step provides early season orange juice having a sensory total orange character which is greater than that of Hamlin orange juice harvested at the time of said harvesting step.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said blending step provides early season orange juice having a sensory raw orange character which is greater than that of Hamlin orange juice harvested at the time of said harvesting step.  
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said collecting step provides early season orange juice having a Color Number of at least 1 CN greater than Hamlin orange juice harvested at the time of said harvesting step.  
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said cultivar within the Seleta family is selected from the group consisting of Seleta Branca, Seleta Coroa-do-Rei, Seleta de Itaborai, Seleta Vermelha, and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said collecting step provides a juice having a Brix-to-acid ratio (BAR) during the months of October and November which meets or exceeds the Orange Fruit Maturity Standards of the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services.  
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein: said blending step provides early season orange juice having a sensory green character which is less than that of Hamlin orange juice harvested at the time of said harvesting step; said collecting step provides a juice having a Brix-to-acid-ratio (BAR) during the months of October and November which meets or exceeds the Orange Fruit Maturity Standards of the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services; and said collecting step provides early season orange juice having a Color Number of at least 1 CN greater than Hamlin orange juice harvested at the time of said harvesting step.  
   
   
       16 . A method of preparing not from concentrate orange juice from oranges, comprising the steps of: 
 harvesting fruit of a very early season orange cultivar having juice with sensory characteristics superior to juice extracted from Hamlin oranges and an early season color which has a Color Number which is at least about 1 CN greater than that of corresponding early season color of juice extracted from Hamlin oranges;    extracting juice from a plurality of the very early season orange cultivar fruit of the harvesting step, said extracting occurring during an extraction time period which is early in the orange growing season;    collecting the juice from the extracting step in order to provide an orange juice source having a Color Number of at least 33 CN units; and    blending at least about 5 volume percent, based on the volume of the orange juice, of said juice from the extracting step with another juice in order to provide a not from concentrate orange juice product having a Color Number in excess of 33 CN units and a sensory profile superior to that of 100 percent Hamlin juice.    
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein said harvesting step occurs in October or November in the Northern Hemisphere.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein said blending step provides early season orange juice having a sensory green character which is less than that of Hamlin orange juice harvested at the time of said harvesting step.  
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein said blending step provides early season orange juice having a sensory bitterness character which is less than that of Hamlin orange juice harvested at the time of said harvesting step.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein: said blending step provides early season orange juice having a sensory green character which is less than that of Hamlin orange juice harvested at the time of said harvesting step; said collecting step provides a juice having a Brix-to-acid ratio (BAR) during the months of October and November which meets or exceeds the orange Fruit Maturity Standards of the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services; and said collecting step provides early season orange juice having a Color Number of at least 1 CN greater than Hamlin orange juice harvested at the time of said harvesting step.  
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein said blending step blends a stored orange juice as the another orange juice source.  
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein said collecting step provides a juice having a Brix-to-acid ratio (BAR) during the months of October and November which meets or exceeds the orange Fruit Maturity Standards of the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services.  
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein said harvesting step selects a cultivar having an early season color of at least about 2 CN greater than Hamlin orange juice of a corresponding harvest time.  
   
   
       24 . A method of preparing not from concentrate orange juice from oranges, comprising the steps of: 
 harvesting an orange cultivar fruit selected from the group consisting of Westin cultivars, Ruby Nucellar cultivars, Itaborai cultivars, and combinations thereof;    extracting juice from a volume of said orange cultivar fruit;    collecting the resulting extracted orange juice as an early season orange juice source having a Color Number of at least 33 CN units;    combining the extracted early season orange juice from said extracting step with another juice in order to provide a not from concentrate orange juice product having at least about 5 volume percent of said early season orange juice, based on the total volume of the juice; and    said not from concentrate orange juice has a sensory green character superior to that of said another juice.    
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein said combining step provides a not from concentrate orange juice product having a Color Number which is greater than 33 CN units.  
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein said harvesting step occurs in October or November in the Northern Hemisphere.  
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein said collecting step provides early season orange juice having a Color Number of at least 1 CN greater than Hamlin orange juice harvested at the time of said harvesting step.  
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein said collecting step provides early season orange juice having a Color Number of at least 2 CN greater than Hamlin orange juice harvested at the time of said harvesting step.  
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein said collecting step provides a juice having a Brix-to-acid ratio (BAR) during the months of October and November which meets or exceeds the Orange Fruit Maturity Standards of the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services.  
   
   
       30 . A method of preparing not from concentrate orange juice from oranges, comprising the steps of: 
 harvesting fruit of an orange cultivar which provides juice during the months of October and November having a sensory profile superior to that of juice provided by Hamlin oranges during the months of October and November, respectively, and having a Color Number which is more intense than juice provided by Hamlin oranges during the months of October and November, respectively;    extracting juice from the orange cultivar of the selecting step, said extracting occurring during an extraction time period which is very early in the orange harvesting season;    collecting the juice from the extracting step in order to provide an orange juice source having a Color Number of at least 33 CN units; and    blending said juice from the extracting step with another juice in order to provide an orange juice product having a sensory profile superior to that of said Hamlin juice and a color value in excess of 33 CN units.    
   
   
       31 . The method in accordance with  claim 30 , wherein said collecting step provides a juice having a Brix-to-acid ratio (BAR) values during the months of October and November which meets or exceed the Orange Fruit Maturity Standards of the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services.  
   
   
       32 . The method in accordance with  claim 30 , wherein said collecting step provides a juice having a Brix value which meets or exceeds the minimum total solids requirement during the months of October and November of the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, and this juice of said collecting step provides a Brix-to-acid ratio (BAR) during the months of October and November which meets or exceeds the Orange Fruit Maturity Standards of the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services for BAR during the months of October and November.  
   
   
       33 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein said collecting step provides early season orange juice having a Color Number of at least 1 CN greater than Hamlin orange juice,harvested at the time of said harvesting step.  
   
   
       34 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein said collecting step provides early season orange juice having a Color Number of at least 2 CN greater than Hamlin orange juice harvested at the time of said harvesting step.  
   
   
       35 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein said blending step provides a product having a Color Number of at least about 35 CN units.  
   
   
       36 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein: said blending step provides early season orange juice having a sensory green character which is less than that of Hamlin orange juice harvested at the time of said harvesting step; said collecting step provides a juice having a Brix-to-acid ratio (BAR) during the months of October and November which meets or exceeds the Orange Fruit Maturity Standards of the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services; and said collecting step provides early season orange juice having a Color Number of at least 1 CN greater than Hamlin orange juice harvested at the time of said harvesting step.  
   
   
       37 . A not from concentrate orange juice prepared in accordance with a process comprising the steps of: 
 harvesting a very early season orange cultivar having juice with early season color of greater intensity than Hamlin orange juice while also exhibiting sensory qualities superior to the sensory qualities of Hamlin orange juice, said harvesting step including selecting a cultivar within the Seleta family of cultivars, a Westin cultivar, a Ruby Nucellar cultivar, or a combination of these very early season cultivars;    extracting juice from a volume of said very early season oranges of said harvesting step;    collecting the resulting extracted orange juice as an early season orange juice having a Color Number of at least 33 CN units; and    blending at least about 5 volume percent, based on the total volume of the juice, of said extracted early season orange juice with another orange juice source in order to provide a not from concentrate orange juice product having a Color Number in excess of 33 CN units and sensory qualities which are superior to said another orange juice source.    
   
   
       38 . The orange juice of  claim 37 , wherein said very early season orange cultivars are harvested in October.  
   
   
       39 . The orange juice of  claim 37 , wherein said very early season orange cultivars are harvested in November.  
   
   
       40 . The orange juice of  claim 37 , wherein said extracted early season orange juice comprises up to about 80 volume percent of the not from concentrate juice.  
   
   
       41 . The orange juice of  claim 37 , wherein said extracted early season orange juice has a Color Number which is at least 1 CN greater than Hamlin orange juice.  
   
   
       42 . The orange juice of  claim 37 , wherein: said early season orange juice has a sensory green character which is less than that of Hamlin orange juice harvested at the time of said harvesting step; said juice has a Brix-to-acid ratio (BAR) during the months of October and November which meets or exceeds the orange Fruit Maturity Standards of the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services; and said early season orange juice has a Color Number of at least 1 CN greater than Hamlin orange juice harvested at the time of said harvesting step.  
   
   
       43 . The orange juice of  claim 37 , wherein said early season orange juice has a Brix value which meets or exceeds the minimum total solids requirement during the months of October and November of the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, and this juice of said collecting step provides a Brix-to-acid ratio (BAR) during the months of October and November which meets or exceeds the Orange Fruit Maturity Standards of the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services for BAR during the months of October and November.  
   
   
       44 . A not from concentrate orange juice prepared in accordance with a process comprising the steps of: 
 harvesting fruit of a very early season orange cultivar having juice with an early season color which has a Color Number which is at least about 1 CN greater than that of corresponding early season color of juice extracted from Hamlin oranges, while also exhibiting sensory qualities superior to the sensory qualities of Hamlin orange juice, said superior sensory qualities including a reduced green character;    extracting juice from a plurality of the very early season orange cultivar of the harvesting step, said extracting occurring during an extraction time period which is early in the orange growing season;    collecting the juice from the extracting step in order to provide an orange juice source having a Color Number of at least 33 CN units; and    blending at least about 5 volume percent of said juice from the extracting step with another juice in order to provide a not from concentrate orange juice product having a Color Number in excess of 33 CN units and improved sensory characteristics.    
   
   
       45 . A not from concentrate orange juice composition comprising a blend of: 
 at least about 1 percent by volume of an orange juice supply, based upon the total volume of the composition;    up to about 99 volume percent of a very early season fresh orange juice, based upon the total volume of the composition, said very early season juice having a sensory profile superior to that of 100 percent Hamlin orange juice from fruit harvested at about the same time as fruit from which said very early season juice originates; and    said fruit from which the very early season fresh orange juice originates is an early season round orange cultivar selected from the group consisting of a cultivar within the Seleta family of cultivars, a Westin cultivar, a Ruby Nucellar cultivar, or a combination of these early season cultivars.    
   
   
       46 . The composition of  claim 45 , wherein said orange juice supply comprises at least about 10 percent by volume, and said very early season fresh juice comprises up to about 90 percent by volume.  
   
   
       47 . The composition of  claim 45 , wherein said orange juice supply comprises at least about 20 percent by volume, and said very early season fresh juice comprises up to about 80 percent by volume.  
   
   
       48 . The composition of  claim 45 , wherein: said very early season orange juice has a sensory green character which is less than that of the 100 percent Hamlin orange juice; said juice has a Brix-to-acid ratio (BAR) during the months of October and November which meets or exceeds the Orange Fruit Maturity Standards of the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services; and said very early season orange juice has a Color Number of at least 1 CN greater than the 100 percent Hamlin orange juice.  
   
   
       49 . The composition of  claim 45 , wherein said blend has a sensory green character which is less than that of the 100 percent Hamlin orange juice.  
   
   
       50 . The composition of  claim 45 , wherein said blend has a sensory bitterness character which is less than that of the 100 percent Hamlin orange juice.  
   
   
       51 . The composition of  claim 45 , wherein said orange juice supply is Hamlin orange juice.  
   
   
       52 . The composition of  claim 45 , wherein said very early season juice is juice from Westin orange cultivars.  
   
   
       53 . The composition of  claim 45 , wherein said very early season juice is juice from Itaborai orange cultivars.  
   
   
       54 . The composition of  claim 45 , wherein said very early season juice is juice from Ruby Nucellar orange cultivars.  
   
   
       55 . The composition of  claim 45 , wherein said very early season juice is juice from orange cultivars of the Seleta family.  
   
   
       56 . A method of preparing an orange juice product incorporating an early season orange cultivar, comprising the steps of: 
 harvesting a very early season orange cultivar having juice with early season color of greater intensity than Hamlin orange juice while also exhibiting sensory qualities superior to the sensory qualities of Hamlin orange juice, said harvesting step including selecting a cultivar within the Seleta family of cultivars, or a combination of these very early season cultivars;    extracting juice from a volume of said very early season oranges of said harvesting step;    collecting the resulting extracted orange juice as an early season orange juice having a Color Number of at least 33 CN units; and    blending at least about 5 volume percent, based on the total volume of the orange juice, of said extracted early season orange juice with another orange juice source in-order to provide an orange juice product having an enhanced sensory profile and a Color Number in excess of 33 CN units.    
   
   
       57 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein said blending step blends a stored orange juice as the another orange juice source.  
   
   
       58 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein said blending step incorporates up to about 80 volume percent of said extracted orange juice.  
   
   
       59 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein said cultivar within the Seleta family is selected from the group consisting of Seleta Branca, Seleta Coroa-do-Rei, Seleta de Itaborai, Seleta Vermelha, and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       60 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein: said blending step provides early season orange juice having a sensory green character which is less than that of Hamlin orange juice harvested at the time of said harvesting step; said collecting step provides a juice having a Brix-to-acid ratio (BAR) during the months of October and November which meets or exceeds the orange Fruit Maturity Standards of the Florida Department of Agriculture & consumer Services; and said collecting step provides early season orange juice having a Color Number of at least 1 CN greater than Hamlin orange juice harvested at the time of said harvesting step.  
   
   
       61 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein said harvesting step selects a cultivar having an early season color of at least about 2 CN greater than Hamlin orange juice of a corresponding harvest time.  
   
   
       62 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein said blending step provides a product having a Color Number of at least about 35 CN units.  
   
   
       63 . An orange juice prepared in accordance with a process comprising the steps of: 
 harvesting fruit of a very early season orange cultivar of the Seleta family of cultivars, said cultivar having juice with an early season color which has a Color Number which is at least about 1 CN greater than that of corresponding early season color of juice extracted from Hamlin oranges, while also exhibiting sensory qualities superior to the sensory qualities of Hamlin orange juice, said superior sensory qualities including a reduced green character;    extracting juice from a plurality of the very early season orange cultivar of the harvesting step, said extracting occurring during an extraction time period which is early in the orange growing season;    collecting the juice from the extracting step in order to provide an orange,juice source having a Color Number of at least 33 CN units; and    blending at least about 5 volume percent of said juice from the extracting step with another juice in order to provide a not from concentrate orange juice product having a Color Number in excess of 33 CN units and improved sensory characteristics.    
   
   
       64 . An orange juice composition comprising a blend of: 
 at least about 1 percent by volume of an orange juice supply, based upon the total volume of the composition;    up to about 99 volume percent of a very early season orange juice supply, based upon the total volume of the composition, said very early season juice having a sensory profile superior to that of 100 percent Hamlin orange juice from fruit harvested at about the same time as fruit from which said very early season juice originates; and    said fruit from which the very early season fresh orange juice originates is an early season round orange cultivar selected from within the Seleta family of cultivars, or a combination of these early season cultivars.    
   
   
       65 . The composition of  claim 64 , wherein said orange juice supply comprises at least about 10 percent by volume, and said very early season juice comprises up to about 90 percent by volume.  
   
   
       66 . The composition of  claim 64 , wherein said orange juice supply comprises at least about 20 percent by volume, and said very early season juice comprises up to about 80 percent by volume.  
   
   
       67 . The composition of  claim 64 , wherein: said very early season orange juice has a sensory green character which is less than that of the 100 percent Hamlin orange juice; said juice has a Brix-to-acid ratio (BAR) during the months of October and November in the Northern Hemisphere which meets or exceeds the Orange Fruit Maturity Standards of the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services; and 
 said very early season orange juice has a Color Number of at least 1 CN greater than the 100 percent Hamlin orange juice.    
   
   
       68 . The composition of  claim 64 , wherein said orange juice supply is Hamlin orange juice.