California citrus industry discusses ideas for improving flavor and maturity standards
California citrus industry discusses ideas for improving flavor and maturity standards
VISALIA, CA -- California Navel oranges have lost market share to clementines and other Mandarin varieties in recent years during the early part of the traditional Navel season. Many in the industry believe that the reason for the decline is that although Navel oranges, when at their best, remain the U.S. consumer's favorite in the citrus category, the competing citrus varieties in the market simply satisfy consumer tastes better than some of the early- season Navels that are shipped before they are ready.
The industry is now looking at changes in maturity standards to assure that Navels do not go to market before they are ready. But there is some question as to whether just increasing the current sugar-to-acid ratio requirements will do the trick.
Several members of the California citrus industry took part in a panel discussion during California Citrus Mutual's annual citrus showcase, held here March 6, dealing with the question of whether there was a way to measure flavor and improve maturity and standards for Navel oranges that would assure a higher degree of consumer satisfaction.
Current standards call for an 8:1 sugar-to-acid ratio, but there is some feeling that not just the ratio but the method itself may be flawed as a means of measuring what consumers perceive as a good-tasting Navel.
Panelist Terry Orr, general manager of Exeter-Ivanhoe Citrus, said that although his company has fruit in Kern County that is "noted for its high test levels early on in the season," with ratios as high as 14:1 and even 15:1, it was still not good-tasting fruit because in spite of the high sugar-to-acid ratio, it actually had very little sugar or acid.
Allowing the oranges to "sit on the tree another month or six weeks" resulted in fruit with more acid and more sugar but "the same ratios, & and the fruit tastes good," he said.
Tom Wollenman, a citrus grower and general manager of LoBue Bros. Inc., said that switching from the current 8:1 standard to a 10:1 ratio would not solve the problem. On the one hand, he said, "just because something has a 10:1 does not necessarily mean that it eats well." On the other hand, requiring a 10:1 ratio would preclude the shipment of "a lot of fruit that would actually be very decent for the market."
All of the panelists agreed that something needs to be done.
"Our industry has to be more proactive," said Mr. Orr. Consumers now have "more products to choose from" and will "gravitate to the product that has the best flavor."
It is "not just a question of clementines eating into Navels," said Etienne Rabe, director of horticulture for Sun Pacific Shippers. "It is also a question of Navels not being of good eating quality" when they first hit the market in mid- to late October. Consumers who try an early Navel and are disappointed may wait four to six weeks before they try another one, and by then they will have bypassed much fruit that might have satisfied them, he said. That cuts into the Thanksgiving period, "when we need to move fruit."
It is important for consumers to have "a satisfactory experience" with the first California Navel they buy at the start of the season "so they will come back within a few days" to buy more, he said.
Joe Stewart, a grower and farm manager in Kern County, said that holding off until the fruit is good enough to satisfy consumers may delay the harvest "five days, maybe 15 or 20 days," and that will mean "a little less volume" early on. But the industry will make that up in increased size and in "increased consumption right at the start," he said.
"Why do we want to try to ship an extra 500 carloads of fruit the first week of November when we lose 1,500 carloads of fruit over a two-week time period prior to Christmas?" asked Mr. Wollenman. "That is suicide, and that is exactly what we are doing. We do not have an option but to give a better-tasting & Navel orange to the consumer." If that is done, he said, "we can probably go head to head with these Mandarin varieties."
Ted Batkin, president of the Citrus Research Board, discussed a new method being evaluated for determining maturity standards that he believes may do a better job of measuring consumer satisfaction. The method, called Brim A, is currently being used in Australia. It "takes into account more of the absolute levels" of titratable acids and soluble sugars "rather than just looking at the ratio," and it comes "much closer to identifying consumer preference than sugar-acid ratios," he said.
But Mr. Orr stressed the need to "go slowly and make sure we are doing the right thing" before revising the standards.
Brim A "may be the right methodology," he said, but it needs to be evaluated in consumer taste tests to be sure the correlation is there.
The industry is now looking at changes in maturity standards to assure that Navels do not go to market before they are ready. But there is some question as to whether just increasing the current sugar-to-acid ratio requirements will do the trick.
Several members of the California citrus industry took part in a panel discussion during California Citrus Mutual's annual citrus showcase, held here March 6, dealing with the question of whether there was a way to measure flavor and improve maturity and standards for Navel oranges that would assure a higher degree of consumer satisfaction.
Current standards call for an 8:1 sugar-to-acid ratio, but there is some feeling that not just the ratio but the method itself may be flawed as a means of measuring what consumers perceive as a good-tasting Navel.
Panelist Terry Orr, general manager of Exeter-Ivanhoe Citrus, said that although his company has fruit in Kern County that is "noted for its high test levels early on in the season," with ratios as high as 14:1 and even 15:1, it was still not good-tasting fruit because in spite of the high sugar-to-acid ratio, it actually had very little sugar or acid.
Allowing the oranges to "sit on the tree another month or six weeks" resulted in fruit with more acid and more sugar but "the same ratios, & and the fruit tastes good," he said.
Tom Wollenman, a citrus grower and general manager of LoBue Bros. Inc., said that switching from the current 8:1 standard to a 10:1 ratio would not solve the problem. On the one hand, he said, "just because something has a 10:1 does not necessarily mean that it eats well." On the other hand, requiring a 10:1 ratio would preclude the shipment of "a lot of fruit that would actually be very decent for the market."
All of the panelists agreed that something needs to be done.
"Our industry has to be more proactive," said Mr. Orr. Consumers now have "more products to choose from" and will "gravitate to the product that has the best flavor."
It is "not just a question of clementines eating into Navels," said Etienne Rabe, director of horticulture for Sun Pacific Shippers. "It is also a question of Navels not being of good eating quality" when they first hit the market in mid- to late October. Consumers who try an early Navel and are disappointed may wait four to six weeks before they try another one, and by then they will have bypassed much fruit that might have satisfied them, he said. That cuts into the Thanksgiving period, "when we need to move fruit."
It is important for consumers to have "a satisfactory experience" with the first California Navel they buy at the start of the season "so they will come back within a few days" to buy more, he said.
Joe Stewart, a grower and farm manager in Kern County, said that holding off until the fruit is good enough to satisfy consumers may delay the harvest "five days, maybe 15 or 20 days," and that will mean "a little less volume" early on. But the industry will make that up in increased size and in "increased consumption right at the start," he said.
"Why do we want to try to ship an extra 500 carloads of fruit the first week of November when we lose 1,500 carloads of fruit over a two-week time period prior to Christmas?" asked Mr. Wollenman. "That is suicide, and that is exactly what we are doing. We do not have an option but to give a better-tasting & Navel orange to the consumer." If that is done, he said, "we can probably go head to head with these Mandarin varieties."
Ted Batkin, president of the Citrus Research Board, discussed a new method being evaluated for determining maturity standards that he believes may do a better job of measuring consumer satisfaction. The method, called Brim A, is currently being used in Australia. It "takes into account more of the absolute levels" of titratable acids and soluble sugars "rather than just looking at the ratio," and it comes "much closer to identifying consumer preference than sugar-acid ratios," he said.
But Mr. Orr stressed the need to "go slowly and make sure we are doing the right thing" before revising the standards.
Brim A "may be the right methodology," he said, but it needs to be evaluated in consumer taste tests to be sure the correlation is there.
