Q. Regarding the bugs in Orange Juice
Is OJ prohibited to consume?
If prohibited, could the OJ be used in for baking?
If not prohibited, is it recommended to nevertheless refrain from consuming the OJ.
Is one brand of OJ better or worse than another?
A. Many Poskim permit commercial orange juice since even if insects or Scale Bugs are present on the peel, the juice is extracted from the inside of the fruit. Tropicana uses a different process that actually squeezes oil out of the peel, then centrifuge the essential oils, limonene oils, and orange oils, to separate them from the surrounding water, and add some of the oil to the juice. The adding of the oils extracted from the peel provides the “freshly squeezed” taste and thick texture found in the product. Rabbi Yair Hoffman writes that in the process of adding the oils of the peel, something else is also introduced into the juice; Scale Bugs. He writes of testings that showed an established presence of insects in the juice. However many Poskim concur with the established OK Hechser, since bug infestation in fruits and vegetables is seasonal, so the same tests conducted at different times of the year can produce different results. On our inquiry to the COR, Rabbi Tzvi Heber replied that all orange juices with a reliable hechsher are permitted.
Horav Shlomo Miller's Shlit'a opinion is similar since the insects if present are only a “Sofek Beriah” or doubtful complete creature that becomes annulled in the juice. (Normally a “Beriah” by Rabbinical decree does not become annulled).
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Shlomo Miller Shlit”a
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