Quality and Preservation of Fruits

N. A. Michael Eskin

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9780367412258
• eBook ISBN: 9781351093057
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Biology
• Index: Biological Sciences

This book discusses the agronomic factors affecting the quality of major fruits grown in North America, as well as the storage and processing of these crops. Quality factors discussed include appearance, texture, flavor, and nutritional quality. Fruits covered include oranges, grapefruit, lemons, grapes, apples, peaches, nectarines, plums, strawberries, pears, and cherries. Quality and Preservation of Fruits is a detailed reference resource for researchers and teachers in horticulture and food science.

Chapter 1^*

ORANGES

Béla S. Buslig

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Introduction A. History B. Commercially Important Varieties 1. Valencia 2. Pineapple 3. Hamlin 4. Pera C. Other Commercially Grown Varieties for Processing

II. Cultural and Environmental Characteristics

III. Factors Influencing the Quality of the Crop for Processing A. Rootstock B. Fertilization and Irrigation C. Harvesting

IV. Processing A. Orange Juice 1. Frozen Concentrated Orange Juice (FCOJ) 2. Chilled Orange Juice 3. Canned Orange Juice B. By-Products 1. Orange Flavor Volatiles 2. Orange Peel Oils 3. Water Extracted Soluble Solids 4. Waste Products

References

I. INTRODUCTION

A. HISTORY

The sweet orange, Citrus sinensis [L.] Osbeck, is probably native to southeastern Asia, most likely southern China, and Indo-China. References to its cultivation date back to early Chinese literature. The earliest existing book on the orange, dated in 1178 A.D., makes several clear references to sweet oranges in ancient Chinese literature of the period around 300 B.C. Although there seems to be some evidence of sweet oranges in Roman gardens as early as the 1st century A.D., there is no written evidence for the cultivation of sweet oranges in Europe until the 15th century. The first importation of sweet orange trees to Europe is attributed to Genoese traders by some references, and to Portuguese explorers by others, but considerable uncertainty exists about the time of introduction.^4,17,38 In any case, following the appearance of sweet oranges during the 15th and 16th centuries in Europe, it was cultivated extensively around the Mediterranean and became quite popular.

With the exploration of the Americas, sweet oranges, along with other citrus fruits (or in actuality, seeds of the same), were brought first to the West Indies and shortly afterwards to the North and South American continents late in the 15th and early in the 16th centuries. By the latter part of the 16th century numerous citrus varieties were well established in the southern part of North America and in Central America and were extremely popular among colonists and natives alike. Settlers in Florida during the early 18th century found many wild citrus groves throughout the state.^4,17 Introduction of orange culture in the Western portion of the present U.S. was by missionaries, early in the 18th century in Arizona, and by the middle of the century in California.⁴ The popularity of the sweet orange resulted in widespread distribution of plantings throughout tropical and subtropical regions of the world and created considerable demand for the fresh fruit, and with the invention of frozen concentrated orange juice (FCOJ),²⁵ additional demand for production.

During the early years of commercial production the primary outlet for sweet oranges was the fresh market. The established growing areas in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa adequately served the main market areas in Europe. Plantings in the Americas primarily served the Western Hemisphere. The predominant U.S. producer in the early part of the century was California, which as late as 1945 produced about 60% of the total U.S. crop. California’s dominance was enhanced in these early years by several devastating freezes in the Eastern U.S., which severely reduced production in this area and drove the Eastern production area further south, essentially almost exclusively into Florida. Replantings in Florida after the freezes in the late 19th century established a vigorous citrus industry, but it was only after the development of FCOJ that Florida surpassed California in orange production. By the early 1950s Florida became the major citrus producer in the world, despite some setbacks due to freezes. Development of a strong demand for orange juice and the need for additional, less costly supplies of oranges led to the plantings of large acreages in some of the developing countries, mainly Brazil. This development, coupled with another series of freezes in the early 1980s in Florida, enabled Brazil to take over the number one position in orange production (Table 1).

B. COMMERCIALLY IMPORTANT VARIETIES

Sweet oranges are usually classified into four types — the common, acidless, pigmented, and navel oranges.^4,17 The most widely grown and commercially the most important, are the common sweet oranges. Approximately three-fourths of the total sweet oranges produced fall in this category. These include the major varieties used for the fresh fruit market and also the most important varieties used for processing. Total production of oranges by the major producing countries exceeded 30,000,000 metric tons during the 1986 to 87 season. Table 1 shows production by selected countries for the period, 1978 to 87. It is estimated that in excess of 50% of the total world production, and more than two-thirds of the output of the major producing countries, is processed, primarily into various juice products. The major varieties used in processing are described below.

TABLE 1
Orange Production by Selected Countries (1978/79 to 1986/87)^a

Note: Values shown represent 1000s of metric tons.

a Includes tangerines and Temples in some countries.

b Includes some fruit produced in Swaziland, Botswana, and Mozambique, marketed through the South African Citrus Board.

Adapted from Reference 12.

1. Valencia

This variety^16,17 is the most widely grown among all of the sweet oranges. The origin of the Valencia orange is quite obscure, possibly originating from Portugal via the Azores. In the U.S. both California and Florida strains seem to have been supplied from the same source during the mid-19th century. The trees are quite adaptable to a variety of climates ranging from desert-like as in California and Arizona to hot and humid semitropical areas, such as Florida. The time from bloom to maturity can vary from 6 months in the warm, tropical areas near the equator to 18 months in the colder temperate areas of commercial production. Due to its high heat requirement, the Valencia is the latest maturing sweet orange variety.²⁷ The fruit is medium-large, oblong to spherical, containing few if any seeds. The internal color at maturity is quite good, although the peel under mild winters can be pale or can regreen. The juice flavor is excellent, but somewhat acid. The fruit holds well on the tree without deterioration and ships well. The Valencia orange is an excellent fresh fruit and is the most desired variety for the manufacture of FCOJ. Valencia oranges grown in the U.S. and the Americas are not identical with oranges grown around the region of Valencia, Spain, or Spanish varieties bearing the name, Valencia.

2. Pineapple

The Pineapple variety^16,17 originated as a chance seedling around Citra, Florida around 1860. The fruits are medium size, largely spherical, moderately seedy, juicy, sweet, possess good color, and excellent flavor. The name, Pineapple, was giv...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Chapter 1 The Orange
• Chapter 2 The Lemon
• Chapter 3 The Grapefruit
• Chapter 4 The Apple
• Chapter 5 The Pear
• Chapter 6 The Peach, The Nectarine, and The Plum
• Chapter 7 The Grape
• Chapter 8 The Cherry
• Chapter 9 The Strawberry
• Index