Why orange juice sometimes smells of cloves

PhD candidate Eva Bauersachs examining samples in the laboratory Researchers see detergent residues as the cause. Industrially produced orange juice sometimes smells unpleasantly of cloves. A research team led by the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has now solved the mystery surrounding this undesirable off-odor. The study published in the journal Food Chemistry identifies the use of peracetic acid as a cleaning agent for the production machines used in orange juice production as the cause. It is not the first time the orange juice industry has had to deal with clove odor. The previously known substance 4-vinylguaiacol is produced when the juice has been stored for too long. Testing for this has, therefore, been an established part of routine quality controls.