Juice is a liquid (drink) that is naturally contained in fruit and vegetables. It can also refer to liquids that are flavored with these or other biological food sources such as meat and seafood. It is commonly consumed as a beverage or used as an ingredient or flavoring in foods. It is also a common practice to mix juices of different fruits/vegetables. Juice did not emerge as a popular beverage choice until the development of pasteurization methods allowed for the preservation of juice without fermentation. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimated the total world production of citrus fruit juices to be 12,840,318 tonnes in 2012.

Preparation

Juice is prepared by mechanically squeezing or macerating (sometimes referred to as cold pressed) fruit or vegetable flesh without the application of heat or solvents. For example, orange juice is the liquid extract of the fruit of the orange tree, and tomato juice is the liquid that results from pressing the fruit of the tomato plant. Juice may be prepared in the home from fresh fruit and vegetables using a variety of hand or electric juicers.