Litchi Juice
Litchi juice is the juice obtained from the translucent aril of Litchi chinensis, the fleshy layer that surrounds the seed inside the rough red shell of the fruit.
The juice is nearly colourless to pale straw, sits between 14 and 20 degrees Brix at single strength, and carries a low acidity of around 0.2 to 0.4 percent with a pH between 4.0 and 5.0. That high sugar to acid ratio makes it noticeably sweeter and less sharp than most tropical juices, and it also raises the thermal process requirement, because the pH sits close to the boundary below which acid alone controls spoilage organisms.
The defining character is aromatic rather than compositional. Litchi flavour rests on rose oxide, linalool, geraniol and a group of terpene alcohols that are present at very low concentration and are lost readily to heat, oxygen and prolonged storage; juice that has been over processed tastes like sugar water. Processing therefore aims at short thermal exposure, deaeration and cold or aseptic storage, with recovered aroma essence added back where the route allows.
We source bulk Litchi Juice from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Fujian. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
Please send the grade you need, the volume and your destination port, and we will come back with a solution and a price.
or call +86-21-6858 0751
- Function
- Beverage ingredient
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Colourless to pale straw liquid, clear or lightly cloudy |
| Flavour and Odour | Characteristic litchi, floral, free from cooked notes |
| Brix at 20 degrees C | 14.0 to 20.0 single strength |
| Titratable Acidity | 0.2 to 0.4 percent as citric acid |
| pH | 4.0 to 5.0 |
| Turbidity | Not more than 5 NTU for clarified grade |
| Sulphur Dioxide | Not more than 10 mg per kg |
| Seed and Shell Fragments | Absent |
| Lead | Not more than 0.05 mg per kg |
| Arsenic | Not more than 0.1 mg per kg |
| Total Plate Count | Not more than 100 cfu per mL |
| Yeast and Mould | Not more than 10 cfu per mL |
| E. coli | Absent in 10 mL |
| Salmonella | Absent in 25 mL |
Common Markets Grades
Litchi is traded as single strength clarified juice, single strength cloudy juice, puree and a concentrate of around 55 to 65 degrees Brix. Clarified grades are enzyme treated and filtered for transparent bottled drinks, while cloudy grades keep the aril derived colloid and taste like a fuller fruit drink.
Buyers specify whether aroma essence is added back, whether the material is aseptic ambient or frozen, and whether the juice is preserved. Cultivar is also specified in the higher grades, since the varieties grown in southern China and in Southeast Asia differ in sweetness and in aroma intensity. Litchi juice is also sold with the flesh pieces or the diced aril packed alongside it for drinks with visible fruit, which is a separate specification.
Applications
- Ready to drink litchi juice drinks and nectars in cartons and bottles
- Tea shop fruit teas, where litchi pairs with green and oolong tea bases
- Tropical juice blends with mango, pineapple and passion fruit
- Sparkling waters and flavoured carbonated soft drinks
- Cocktail and mocktail mixers, including litchi martini style serves
- Jelly, pudding and dessert cups, often with diced aril suspended in the gel
- Drinking yoghurt and fermented milk beverages
- Ice cream, sorbet and frozen fruit bars
- Confectionery and fruit gummy flavour bases
Brands Using Litchi Juice
Widely-distributed consumer products that list Litchi Juice on the ingredient label.
Brand names, product names and logos are the property of their owners. They appear here as published evidence that the ingredient is used, taken from the brand's own label or website. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and it does not mean the brand buys from us or from any manufacturer listed on this site.
China Manufacturers of Litchi Juice
Top Litchi Juice manufacturers in China.
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
Regulatory Status
Litchi juice is a conventional food derived from an edible fruit. In the United States the general provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act cover it, 21 CFR 101 governs its labelling with juice percentage declared under 21 CFR 102.33, and the juice HACCP rule at 21 CFR 120 governs its production. Because the natural pH can exceed 4.6, products that rely on acidification for shelf stability fall under the acidified foods regulation at 21 CFR 114 and require a filed and validated process.
In the European Union litchi juice sits within Directive 2001/112/EC as amended by Directive 2012/12/EU, which sets the minimum Brix for the named fruit and lists permitted treatments and additions. Codex standard CXS 247-2005 provides the international composition reference. Sulphite residues are a specific point of attention for this fruit, because sulphur dioxide fumigation is used on fresh litchi to preserve shell colour, and any carryover into processed material must be declared under the allergen labelling provisions of Regulation 1169/2011 and kept within the limits of Regulation 1333/2008.
Manufacturing Process
Fruit arrives in bulk during a short summer season and is washed and inspected, then de shelled and de seeded, either by hand in labour intensive operations or by mechanical peeler and destoner lines. The seed must be removed intact, since it carries bitter and astringent compounds that are released if it is crushed. The recovered aril is milled or pulped to a mash.
The mash is treated with pectinase to break down the aril cell wall, raise yield and make the juice filterable, then pressed or separated by decanter centrifuge. Clarified grades receive fining, centrifugation and ultrafiltration; cloudy grades are only screened and given a heat shock. The juice is deaerated to protect the terpene aroma, then pasteurised in a tubular or plate exchanger with a short hold, kept as brief as the pH permits. It is then filled aseptically, filled chilled, or frozen. For concentrate the juice is evaporated under vacuum at low temperature with aroma stripped and rectified in a separate column and returned to the concentrate before filling.
