Codex Alimentarius defines juice as “unfermented but fermentable juice intended for direct consumption, obtained by the mechanical process from sound, ripe fruits, preserved exclusively by physical means (FAO 1992). Pineapple and passion
fruits are the most popular juices to date but others may increase in popularity. The global market for juice products
was estimated to be about 50 billion liters in the 1990s (FAO1999). Banana juice is made using traditional methods for beer/spirit production but it is not widely sold as juice, most at times it is blended with other fruits juices. In general, juice
can also be made from a mixture of fruits although this is not widely done at present due to high costs involved.
Fruits can be consumed fresh or processed into various forms. Pineapple and mango juice are the most popular product
due to its fruity aroma, fragrance and flavor and is purportedly the most widely consumed fresh fruit in the world with
production exceeding 17 million metric tons a year (FAOSTAT2007).Mangoes are produced in over 90 countries worldwide, Asia accounts for approximately 77% of global mango production and the Americas and Africa approximately 13% and 9% respectively (FAOSTAT 2007). In 2005 world production of mango was estimated at 28.51 million metric tons. Between 1996 and 2005, production grew at annual rate of 2.6% (FAOSTAT 2007). Over the last decade
prices of fruits are declining about 50% because the fruits are available in most countries but prices could increase with
proper promotional effort. There is evidence that processed fruit market is increasing (Sauco 2004).
Juice manufactures face competition from producers who buy imported flavor concentrates and dilute them to make fruit
drinks that are much cheaper. Consequently, the production and marketing of fruit juice should focus on the fact that they
are made from fresh fruits with no additives. Further, the cost of equipment to form and seal cartons is too high for small
scale producers and they are only sold under license. Cheaper alternatives including plastic pots with seeded foil lids are
available as alternatives to bottles. Some processors also market juice in polythene sachets. Preservation is by pasteurization and natural activity of the juice. Some types of juice (e.g.melon juice) have low levels of acid and this can be increased by adding citric acid to give a pH below 3.5–4.0. Although some producers add a preservative such as sodium benzoate to ensure a long shelf life, this is not necessary if the juice is properly processed. Juice can be extracted from fruits in a number of ways, depending on the hardness of the raw material. Harder fruits such as pineapple are peeled and pulped using a liquidizer and pressed to extract juice. Fresh and processed pineapple is found all over theworld. For every five pineapples produced two are sold on the international market and
processed pineapple product such as juice, largely dominates this markets, accounting for 80% of the total trade (Morgan et.al. 2005). Producers usually prefer to sell their produce to exporters because of the high price offered and traders who sell on the local markets offer the lowest (African Study Monograph 2004). Citrus fruits and juices are excellent sources of vitamin C containing more than the minimum daily requirement of 60mg of vitamin C in 240ml of juice (USDA 2000).
Fruit juice provides a notable amount of iron which produces healthy red blood cells to transport oxygen throughout
the body. Citrus fruits and juices are also a good source of folicacid, vitamin B, thiamine and potassium (Nagy et al. 1993;
Brown 2000). A daily glass of fruit juice supplies 20% of daily iron needs of a person (www.livestrong.com). Fruit juice is
very important in improving the memory and concentration,reducing mental weakness and in curing the problem of heavy
bleeding during menstruation (www.drgranny.com).Tema, Accra and Nsawam are the locations of major fruits
processing companies in Ghana. Nkulenu industries a pioneer fruit processing company, for example dominated the local
market during the 1970’s through to the 1980’s with its’ mixed products. Astek Fruit Processing also extended the market and began to control a significant market share with its fresh mango and pineapple juice brands. The problem of price fluctuations of Ghana’s traditional export such as minerals, cocoa and timber has called for diversification in agricultural productionto expand her export product base. Fruits are ubiquitous in most temperate and tropical zones. There may be ample raw materials available for short seasons, which mostly go waste due to lack of processing facilities (Brown 2000).