Sweet
Orange - the most common. There are varieties
that are exclusively grown for immediate
consumption and juice production. Navels
are the most popular eating orange.
They are a good sized fruit; easy to peel,
with no seeds. They have a good juice
content and an excellent taste balance.
Sour Orange –for marmalade.
Blood Orange - with a red-orange colour.
This
is a big fruit
with tasty flesh.
It is an excellent
quality fruit
with juice that
retains its
sweet flavour
after being
squeezed.
This
is a seedless, oval
shaped fruit with perfectly
defined segments, and
an easily peeled skin.
Juice from the Navel
orange should be consumed
as soon as possible
because it tends to
sour.
Mandarins are easy to peel
fruits which are smaller and less acid than
an orange.
They are divided into three groups:
Most of the production is the Clementina variety,
with an emphasis on Clemenule and Hernandina
in the IV region.
It
has an orange pulp,
a sweet flavour with
few seeds. It is round
shaped, small to medium
sized and sweet. Its
skin is quite granular.
This is a hybrid between a clementine
and a grapefruit one. The fruit produced are
very succulent with good sugar levels and lots
of juice.
The
Mineola is the most
common Tangelo. They
look like long oranges,
with a deep reddish
colour, grainy skin
and few seeds. The area
around the stalk is
similar to that of a
pear.
Storage
All citrus fruit is very sensitive to cold temperatures.
Citrus
fruit should be stored at 41-43° F
(5 - 6°C) and may keep for up to 12
weeks.
Clementines
are very sensitive to tainting so should
not be stored near to other products with
a strong aroma.
Display
Quality fruit will be
firm to the touch and and free of imperfections.
The skin should be shiny.
The weight
of an orange should match its size. A
larger fruit which weighs the same as
a smaller one will have more skin, less
pulp and juice.
A mature
clementine has an all over intense colour.
They are also more sensitive to bruising
and should be treated with care.
Citrus should not be displayed under refrigeration.
Fruit should
be inspected daily to check the quality.
Lemon trees produce fruit all year round
with blossom, buds, and mature fruit on the
tree at any one time.
The fruit is usually hand picked.
This
has a relatively thick
skin with a short neck.
There are few seeds
and lots of juice.
This is a very good looking lemon variety, with lots of juice. The skin is smooth and thin, a mid sized fruit with few seeds (3-8).
Storage
The best temperature for storing lemons is between 54 - 57°F (12 - 14° C).
Lemons
can be stored for up to 6 months. If they are green they can be stored
for longer periods of time than if they are yellow.
Citrus
fruits generally have an agreeable and intense fragrance, so it is
recommended that they be stored away from other fruits and vegetables.
Display
Display firm lemons, bright yellow with a granulated skin.
The more yellow and heavy they are, the more mature and juicy they are.
Most lemons are sold individually, though it may be convenient to give the consumers the chance of buying in webbed bags.
Separate lemons according to size.
Display
lemons among green vegetables, so that they stand out and are more
attractive. They might be surrounded by lettuce, for example,
suggesting their use in salads and in the kitchen.
Region of Production
I region - Tarapacá II region -
Antofagasta III region - Atacama
IV region - Coquimbo Metropolitan
region - Santiago V region -
Valparaíso VI region - Rancagua VII region - Maule
VIII region -
Bío Bío
I region - Tarapacá
