About three-fourths of the oranges grown in the United States are processed into frozen concentrated or fresh juice. Small amounts of oranges are used for making baked goods, candy, marmalade, salads, and soft drinks. Most of the remaining orange crop is sold as fresh fruit. The orange peel, pulp, and rag (core) are used primarily as cattle feed supplements.

There are several types of oranges, the most popular of which is the sweet orange. Oranges vary in shape from round to oval, and the peel ranges from pink to orange to dark red in color. They grow best in regions with warm summers and cool winters in which the temperatures do not go below freezing. Freezing temperatures can severely damage the tree and the fruit.

The orange is a type of berry called a hesperidium. The peel consists of a colored outer layer called the flavedo and a white, spongy inner layer known as the albedo. The flavedo contains tiny glands that contain a mixture of aromatic oils. The edible interior of the orange consists of 10 to 15 segments, which surround a spongy core. The segments contain many juice sacs, which hold the juice and make up the pulp of the orange. The segments of some varieties of oranges also contain seeds. Other varieties of oranges are seedless or nearly seedless.

The orange tree has dark green leaves and beautiful, white, fragrant flowers. Fruits develop from the ovaries of the flowers. Some varieties of oranges may be harvested within 7 months after the flowers bloom, but others may remain on the tree up to 16 months. Growers plant different varieties of oranges in the same area so that mature fruit is available during most or all of the year. The most common varieties in the USA are the Valencia, Navel, Hamlin and Temple.

As oranges mature, the amount of sugar and juice they contain increases and their acid content decreases. In the United States, state and federal laws determine the levels of sugar, juice, and acid that oranges must contain to be considered mature. Oranges and other citrus fruit differ from most other fruit in that they do not mature further after they have been harvested. For this reason, growers pick the oranges only when the fruit contains the required levels of juice, sugar, and acid.

Oranges are an excellent source of Vitamin C, as just one orange supplies 116.2% of the daily value for vitamin C. Vitamin C is the primary water-soluble antioxidant in the body, disarming free radicals and preventing damage in the aqueous environment both inside and outside cells.

In recent research studies, the healing properties of oranges have been associated with a wide variety of phytonutrient compounds. These phytonutrients include citrus flavanones (types of flavonoids that include the molecules hesperetin and naringenin), anthocyanins, hydroxycinnamic acids, and a variety of polyphenols. When these phytonutrients are studied in combination with oranges' vitamin C, the significant antioxidant properties of this fruit are understandable. Blood oranges in particular contain the important carotenoid Lycopene.

Encore Fruit Marketing can provide an excellent source of blood orange juice concentrate to help consumer products deliver one of the 5 A Day fruit servings, with high Vitamin C content and a refreshing orange flavor.

Blood orange juice concentrate is carefully processed from fresh, ripened oranges to provide the essential flavor, color and nutrition , in a convenient, ready to use ingredient form for processed beverage and food applications. Blood orange juice concentrate is an excellent ingredient to add a fruit serving to your retail label for beverages, dairy desserts, sauces, and other processed foods requiring orange juice solids.

Contact Encore Fruit Marketing today for product samples and information on blood orange juice concentrate at www.encorefruit.com or Click Here to use our convenient Contact Form.