The health risks and food safety concerns of mangosteen juice are dependent upon many factors, which should be carefully considered in terms of microbial contamination, consumption of sugars, oxidative deterioration and allergen nature. The International Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) estimates that approximately 3%-5% of fruit juice products throughout the world cause foodborne illnesses due to bacterial contamination, among which mangostean juice due to fewer subsequent processing operations, so the contamination rate is relatively high. For instance, 7.6% of the 300 samples of mangosteen juice obtained in 2023 were excessive in E. coli, mainly because of the inadequate storage conditions of raw pulp (White Paper on Food Safety 2024).
Sugar content is a significant risk factor. Mature mangosteen pulp has 23%-28% sugar, and concentrated juice has over 15% sugar. Regular consumption can increase the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. The American Diabetes Association states that people who drink over 500ml of sweet fruit juice daily are 23% more likely to have diabetes (Journal of Nutrition 2023).
Oxidative Browning resulted in flavor deterioration. Polyphenols of mangosteen juice oxidized slowly over 30 minutes at room temperature, and darkened after 4 hours. In Food Industry Research Institute tests, the addition of 0.1% vitamin C was found to slow the oxidation rate to 12 hours, but commercial expense will increase 8% to 12% (Food Additives Application Manual 2024).
On allergic reactions, mangostean belongs to sumac family with urushiol in its pulp and SAP which may cause contact dermatitis. According to Singapore Central Hospital 2022 documents, 12% of allergy patients tested positive for mangosteen juice with patients exhibiting manifestations like itching and rashes and, in worse cases, shots of antihistamines are required (Journal of Clinical Immunology).
It must be noted that illegal additive issue is still hidden danger, In 2023, China Agricultural product Quality Supervision and Inspection testing Center detected that overuse of cyclamate (sodium cyclohexyl sulfamate) with the concentration of up to 0.35g/kg was found in certain mangosteen juice samples beyond over 1.5 times the national standard limit (Food Safety Law illegal case notification).
In conclusion, mangosteen juice risk control should be minimized by cold chain storage and transportation, proper addition of antioxidants and rigorous illegal additive detection. Consumers are encouraged to purchase products from SC certified manufacturers, and observe drinking immediately after opening to prevent oxidation deterioration. Use of English keywords sapodilla juice risks can help build a food safety warning system. For example, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has adopted an appropriate model for risk assessment and classified mangosteen juice as a “highly sensitive official risk food.”.