Global orange juice market: a 16-year summary and opportunities for creating value

Product and byproducts of the citrus industry are destined mainly for export and they play a significant role in the Brazilian economy. The major threats to citrus production and business include weather conditions (abiotic stress) and plant disease epidemics (biotic stress), especially bacterial diseases. Historical examples of devastating bacterial diseases that have shaped and changed radically citrus production are found in many countries. It is important for citrus pathologists to become aware of the dimension of citrus business in terms of the global demand and consumption. For such, we gathered data from several sources and calculated the global consumption of Frozen Concentrate Orange Juice (FCOJ) 66 degrees Brix equivalent, the main citrus industry product. A historical analysis of the 16 years (2013 to 2018) of the global consumption including total and per capita consumption of FCOJ was conducted. In addition, we summarized the consumer preferences regarding 100% juices, nectars, and juice drinks in the main market worldwide. The data depict the dynamics of consumption and the trends that drive consumer behavior in the food and fruit beverage market. We find that, despite a growth of 23.7% in the consumption of industrialized fruit drinks during the period, the consumption of 100% orange juice declined 22.78%. The drop in consumption of FCOJ has been accentuated in developed economies, such as Germany (- 44.75%), USA (- 42.41%), UK (- 26.80%), and France (- 14.34%). On the other hand, emerging economies have increased their consumption of FCOJ, as evidenced by BRICs plus Mexico (+ 75.52%). Food and beverage trends are leading different behaviors in the demand of orange juice globally, which tends to stabilize the global market. With this in mind, pathologists play a fundamental role in citrus chain, in order to guarantee that citrus suppliers continue providing good quality fruits to the industry and overcome the challenges of bacterial diseases.