By Ruth Borger The week between Christmas and New Year’s is a great time to think about reading, or rereading, a book about Florida citrus or trying out a tasty recipe featuring our favorite fruit. Here are some suggestions that might make it onto your bedside reading table for the new year. Oranges by John McPhee,1966, is considered a classic …
Updated Brazilian OJ Projection
The total Brazilian frozen concentrated orange juice (FCOJ) 65 Brix equivalent production for 2021-22 is projected at 1.123 million metric tons (MMT). That projection, which is an increase of 16% compared to orange juice production for 2020-21, was made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). The São Paulo industry is expected to process 265 million …
The Case for Sugar Belle® in OJ
A pitch for potentially using the HLB-tolerant Sugar Belle® mandarin hybrid in orange juice (OJ) has been made by University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers. A brief presentation titled, “Potential of Using HLB-Tolerant Sugar Belle® in Orange Juice Processing and Effects on Consumer Preference,” is available for viewing. Slides in the presentation indicate that a …
Citrus Hall of Fame Names New Inductees
George F. Hamner Jr., of Vero Beach, and the late A. Tillis Edwards Jr. and Edward A. Taylor, both of Lakeland, will be inducted into the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame in 2022. The inductions will take place during a Citrus Celebration Luncheon scheduled for Oct. 14 at Florida Southern College in Lakeland. A. TILLIS EDWARDS JR. Edwards was a …
Annexation Plan for Gardinier Florida Citrus
More than 900 acres of citrus groves, owned by Sarasota-based Gardinier Florida Citrus, was recently approved in a master annexation plan by the Lake Wales City Commission. Shelton Rice, a lawyer with Peterson & Myers, represents Gardinier and outlines what the Gardinier Master Annexation agreement means for the future of the 932 acres of citrus. “It lays out when portions …
Florida Citrus Company Says Production Down, Prices Up
Florida citrus company and landowner Alico, Inc. saw harvested boxes of fruit decrease during the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30 but got a boost from higher prices linked to consumer demand for orange juice. The company reported this in federal Securities and Exchange Commission filings released Tuesday. Alico said it harvested 6.4 million boxes of fruit during the year, …
International Marketing Efforts for Florida Citrus
The Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) described its 2020-21 international marketing efforts at last month’s meeting of the Florida Citrus Commission, which governs the FDOC. Katie Bruce, international marketing manager, discussed the FDOC’s past-year programs in the United Kingdom (UK), France, Japan, South Korea and Canada for fresh grapefruit and orange juice. Bruce also presented an overview of preliminary 2021-22 …
Breeders Discuss Favored Citrus Varieties
Fred Gmitter and Jude Grosser discuss some relatively new varieties they like – a mandarin, some oranges and a pummelo-grapefruit hybrid. Gmitter and Grosser are University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) plant breeders at the Citrus Research and Education Center. SUGAR BELLE® MANDARIN“Looking at Sugar Belle® and its performance against citrus greening, it’s clearly one of …
Mexico OJ Exports Increasing
Mexico is the second leading exporter of orange juice (OJ), following only Brazil, Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) economist Marisa Zansler reported recently. She said Mexico’s OJ exports increased incrementally in recent seasons in response to the decline in world OJ supplies. Excerpts from Zansler’s FDOC document, Florida Citrus Outlook 2021-22 Season, follow. Although a net exporter of orange juice, …
Cutrales to Face Trial Over OJ Cartel
Law firm PGMBM reported it has secured a London High Court judgment that will result in a Brazilian orange juice (OJ) magnate facing trial over his participation in an illegal cartel. José Luis Cutrale and his son, José Luis Cutrale Jr., reportedly were part of an operation that substantially impacted the global market for the sale of OJ. Brazilian orange …
Research on Rootstocks: More Than HLB
Plant breeders Fred Gmitter and Jude Grosser report on their efforts to develop rootstocks that perform well in Florida from several perspectives. In addition to seeking tolerance to HLB, they are working on rootstocks that might control tree size, deal with other diseases and pests and perform in a range of soils. Gmitter and Grosser are University of Florida Institute …
Legislative Efforts for Florida Citrus
Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) recently reported its efforts and priorities for the next Florida legislative session. As in past years, much of FCM’s focus will be on funding programs (Citrus Research and Development Foundation, Citrus Research and Field Trial and New Varieties Development and Management Corp.) critical to solving HLB and the marketing efforts to continue movement of 100% premium …
Bigger Budget Approved for Florida Department of Citrus
On Oct. 27, the Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) approved a revised 2021–22 operating budget for the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) of $29 million. The FCC is the governing board of the FDOC, an executive agency of the Florida government charged with the marketing, research and regulation of the Florida citrus industry. The FCC voted to maintain the previous year’s …
Update on OJ Marketing Efforts
“From research to sales, there’s momentum and a feeling of energy in the air,” Florida Citrus Commission Chairman Steve Johnson wrote in a recent email to members of the Florida citrus industry. His update focused on Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) orange juice (OJ) marketing efforts. The Florida Citrus Commission is the governing board of the Florida Department of Citrus. …
Brix Decision Disappoints Florida Citrus Mutual
The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not agree with Florida Citrus Mutual’s (FCM) request for discretion in enforcing the Brix limit for not-from-concentrate (NFC) orange juice. In its Oct. 22 Triangle newsletter, FCM reported that it had sought enforcement discretion “to protect growers from the likely contingency that Florida’s 2021-22 orange crop may not meet FDA’s minimum Brix …
Uncle Matt’s Organic Supports Charity
Uncle Matt’s Organic announced a partnership supporting Chris Nikic and his 1% Better Foundation. A portion of the proceeds from Uncle Matt’s Organic juice sales through January 2022 will be donated to the foundation. Nikic recently became the first person with Down Syndrome to complete a 140.6-mile Ironman triathlon. His success motto was to get “1 percent better” every day. …
OJ May Fight Inflammation, Oxidative Stress
A new study suggests 100% orange juice (OJ) has the potential to help fight inflammation and oxidative stress in adults, paving the way for further research on the topic. Though limited in scope, the study indicates drinking 100% OJ significantly reduces interleukin 6, a well-established marker of inflammation, in both healthy and high-risk adults. Two additional inflammatory and oxidative stress …
Panel Discusses OJ and Health Research
The Florida Citrus Commission’s (FCC) Scientific Research Advisory Council (SRAC) on Oct. 13 discussed recent studies and projects addressing the linkage between orange juice (OJ) and health. The FCC governs the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC), which spends much effort promoting the health benefits of OJ. PUBLISHED STUDIESRosa Walsh, director of scientific research at the FDOC, shared three recently published …
U.S. Citrus Processing Report
In 2020-21, 57% of U.S. citrus was used for processing, and most of the processed fruit was oranges, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service reported in September. Florida produced 81% of all U.S. oranges for processing, while California and Texas produced the remainder. Florida and Texas had smaller orange crops for the processed market in 2020-21 compared with …
Immunity Still a Consumer Priority
Consumers are continuing to seek out foods and beverages that provide immune support during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Jackie Hopkins with Edible told the Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) at its Sept. 22 meeting. That search for immunity is a benefit to the orange juice (OJ) industry, since numerous reports indicate consumers link OJ to immunity. Edible is a marketing agency …