Oranges Ordering and Handling
Packaging
Shipping Containers
- 50 lb. cartons, 5 10-lb. film bags
- 48 lb. cartons, 6 8-lb. film bags
- 48 lb. 1 1/5-bushel crates (Israel)
- 43 lb. 4/5-bushel cartons/crates
- 40 lb. 7/10-bushel crates (Texas)
- 40 lb. cartons, 8 5-lb. film bags
- 38 lb. cartons (Ariz., Calif.)
Consumer Packs
- 4-, 5-, 8-, 10, and 18-lb. bags
- 12 lb. 1/3 cartons
- 20 lb. _ cartons
Fresh Cut
Some shippers offer peeled oranges for food-service and retail.
Foodservice Packs
Oranges count high among fruits most used by foodservice. Operators can order California citrus in sizes 48-163s, or 64-125s for Florida citrus.
U.S. Grades
Florida
- U.S. Fancy
- U.S. No. 1 Bright
- U.S. No. 1
- U.S. No. 1 Golden
- U.S. No. 1 Bronze
- U.S. No. 1 Russet
- U.S. No. 2 Bright
- U.S. No. 2 Russet
- U.S. No. 3
Florida also imposes some state regulations for short time periods.
California and Arizona
- U.S. Fancy
- U.S. No. 1
- U.S. Combination
- U.S. No. 2
Texas and Other States
- U.S. Fancy
- U.S. No. 1
- U.S. No. 1 Bright
- U.S. No. 1 Bronze
- U.S. Combination
- U.S. No. 2
- U.S. No. 2 Russet
- U.S. No. 3
- Texas Choice
Common PLUs
- 4384 - Small navel, East/Central (125 size and smaller)
- 4013 – Small navel, West (113 size and smaller)
- 4385 – Large navel, East/Central (100 size and larger)
- 3107 – Medium navel, West (72 to 88 size)
- 4012 – Large navel, West (56 size and larger)
- 4014 – Small Valencia (100 size and smaller, Florida; 113 size and smaller, West)
- 3108 – Medium Valencia, West (72 to 88 size)
- 4388 – Large Valencia (80 size and larger, Florida; 56 size and larger, West)
Equivalents
- 2-4 mediums (113s) = about 1 cup juice
- 2 mediums = about 1 cup bite size pieces
- 1 medium = about 10-12 sections
- 1 medium = 4 teaspoons grated peel
Receiving
Good-quality product should be firm, heavy for its size, well-colored and reasonably fine-textured for the variety. Florida and Texas oranges frequently are subject to russeting; quality is not affected. Avoid oranges that are light, puffy or spongy because they lack juice. Decay is indicated by soft surface areas that are watersoaked in appearance and may break under slight pressure. Also, age or injury may cause fruit to be wilted, shriveled or flabby. The seedier the orange, the less edible pulp and juice it has.
Ripeness
Oranges ripen on the tree and are not picked until fully ripe, regardless of color. Before they are fully ripe, Valencias turn golden. As they continue to ripen on the tree, they begin to turn green again. The warm temperatures cause chlorophyll to return to the peel. "Regreened" summer Valencia oranges are fully ripe; flavor, juiciness and maturity are not affected. Use point-of-purchase materials to explain that to shoppers. Cut a "regreened" Valencia in half to show consumers the orange interior.
Handling
- Temperature: Florida, 32-34 F, 0-1.1 C; California, 45-48 F, 7.2-8.9 C; Arizona, Texas, 32-48 F, 0-8.9 C.
- Relative Humidity: 85-90 percent
- Mist: No
- Typical Shelf Life: Arizona, California, 21-56 days; Florida, Texas, 56-84 days (when properly refrigerated)
- Odor producer
- Moderately sensitive to freezing injury
- Susceptible to chilling injury
Early Florida oranges are not stored, except as relates to shipping. Valencias can be stored to some extent; navels are kept only as needed to allow orderly marketing.
Fresh Cut
If refrigerated, fresh-squeezed orange juice will stay fresh tasting at least 24 hours. Discard juice after 36 hours; never use juice older than 48 hours. Always cover stored juice to prevent it from picking up flavors from other items in the refrigerator.
Freshly peeled citrus has a shelf life of up to 16 days from peeling date if maintained at 34-36 F, 1.1-2.2 C. Navel oranges tend to become bitter when cut and exposed to the air for any length of time.
- Do not store or transport odor-sensitive items with commodities that produce odors. Oranges produce odors that will be absorbed by meat, eggs and dairy products.
- Able to recover from one or two light freezings.
- Damage sometimes is not apparent until the produce is returned to a warmer temperature.