 Orange cultivars can be categorized into four distinct groups:
Orange trees are semitropical non-deciduous trees and, like other citrus fruits, they probably originated in Southeast Asia and then became widely distributed throughout the Mediterranean basin during the Arab dominance of the area during the ninth and tenth centuries. Cultivation of oranges gradually spread through China and India to east Africa and then to the Mediterranean region. They were prominent commodities during the Roman Empire. Citrus production earned the hills and valleys around Palermo the name "Conca d'Oro" (golden seashell) during the Middle Ages.
Columbus brought orange seeds and seedlings with him to the New World. By the 1820s, when Florida became a U.S. territory, orange groves were thriving in St. Augustine. By 1910, Florida was on its way to its current status as the number one citrus-growing state. The navel orange was developed in the United States. Oranges are the third most popular fruit in the United States, right behind bananas and apples. However, until the advent of refrigerated transport and storage, they were expensive and only rarely available in cooler climates.
The Blood, Moro, or Maltese Oranges are very old orange varieties. There is some historical evidence that the blood orange hybrid first appeared in Southern Europe around 1850 and was then brought to North America many decades later by Spanish and Italian immigrants. Commonly known throughout most of the world as "blood," "blood-red" or "blush" oranges, they have a number of other common or regional names. In the United States, they are known as Rubies, Blush or Moro oranges.
In the former British Empire, blood oranges were called "Maltese" oranges. They are closely related to 'Jaffa' orange varieties. Some writers have theorized that Jaffa is a blood orange variant. In Sicily where blood oranges are a popular product and export commodity, the most popular blood orange varieties are Tarocco, Moro and Sanguigno, the latter cultivated extensively in the western part of the island as the Sanguinello of Paternò and Adernò.
The European Union has recognized a small region of Eastern Sicily near Mt. Etna as a special zone of production for the Tarocco variety (sold in the United States under the trade name Volcano Oranges®), the "Indicazione Geografica Protetta" (geographically protected variety). Some consider the blood orange to be particularly Sicilian, primarily because it is not as widely cultivated in Calabria, Spain or Greece. However, this is a distinctly European and euro-centric perspective, considering the Asian and Arabic heritage of the fruit and its widespread cultivation throughout the Middle East and Asia.
Attributes Traditionally blood oranges in Italy are incorporated into many areas of popular and traditional cuisine. They are consumed in salads, used to highlight entrées and are popular in desserts. The juice is in demand for both fresh and processed products. It has an outstanding flavor, a distinctive red color and is rich in healthy antioxidant compounds. Some culinary writers feel that there is a distinct difference between Italian export blood oranges and domestically produced blood oranges from Florida, California or Texas (http://www.babbonyc.com/dolci-citrus.html). The blood oranges imported from Sicily tend to have deeper reddish orange hues and may have a sweeter flavor. The varieties tend to be the same, so these difference may be a false perception of quality or perhaps may be due to geographic, storage or handling differences.
All blood oranges tend to contain few seeds, and have red-pigmented flesh and peel that can cause a "blush" of pigment when the peel is damaged or removed. The appearance of the red flesh and deep red juice can be striking. Usually the inside of the fruit is darkly pigmented. When ripe, the skin can also exhibit a reddish blush to a deep-red cast, depending on the variety. The red pigmentation varies with climate and can be intense when blood oranges are grown in regions with large diurnal temperature fluctuations (hot days, cold nights). The pigment in blood oranges is anthocyanin; it is not typically found in citrus and is usually associated with other red fruit and flowers. Anthocyanin is a powerful antioxidant that neutralizes the effects of free-radical chemicals within the bodies of living organisms. Scientific data strongly suggests that free radicals are at least partly responsible for cancer, many detrimental effects of aging and numerous ailments. Anthocyanins have numerous beneficial effects ranging from preventing and fighting ulcers to improving vision. Recently the press has extensively reported on these compounds counteracting damaging free radicals that contribute to the growth of cancerous tumors. Anthocyanin compounds have been commercialized by the pharmaceutical industry because of their ability to prevent capillary fragility, scavenge free radicals and inhibit lipid peroxidation (which is a major factor in the development of liver disease, diabetes, epilepsy, and heart disease as well as other conditions).
Blood oranges are known for their high vitamin C, potassium, carotene and dietary fiber contents, all of which have extensive health benefits. It has been well documented in the nutritional press that consuming several daily servings of fruits and vegetables, combined with three servings of low-fat dairy products, are effective in lowering blood pressure and other heart-related disease risks, while contributing to overall general good health and disease resistance.
U.S. Production Only within the last decade or so have blood oranges became recognized as a salable product line in the United States, despite North America's large citrus industry. In the United States, blood oranges are relatively recent crops for traditional citrus growers in Florida, California and Texas. Ruby, Moro and Tarocco are cultivars that can be grown in Florida (although red coloration is usually reduced due to Florida's warm, humid climate). The University of California, Riverside Citrus Clonal Protection Program (CCPP) details California cultivation and research regarding the Ruby, Moro, Tarocco, Sanquinelli, Vainiglia Sanguigno and Delfino varieties. In California, the three main blood orange varieties are Tarocco, Moro and Sanguigno. These varieties, particulary the Moro, have been "dwarfed" to produce smaller, more easily managed trees by grafting them onto dwarf variety rootstocks. In the United States, most Moros are grown near San Diego.
In Texas, Jaffa or "Palestine Jaffa Blood Orange" was introduced in 1883 from Palestine. It is considered by some to be a blood orange and not so by others. The current variety now grown in Texas appears to differ considerably from the original variety. Jaffa's fruit are small to medium in size, classified as a seedless variety and have a thin, smooth peel. Peel and juice color is yellow, the flesh is of very high quality and the juice is thick and nectar-like. Jaffa usually achieves maturity in the Rio Grand Valley about Christmas. Jaffa in Texas tends to have flecks of pigment in the fruit but usually only during cooler winter conditions in the valley. Other blood-orange varieties are grown in Texas as well as Arizona but not on a particularly large scale (http://ccpp.ucr.edu/variety/bloods.html; http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/citrus/oranges.htm).
Each of the U.S. blood orange cultivars is visually distinctive. Tarocco tends to be slightly elongated, the Moro round, and the Sanguinelli somewhat egg shaped. Each type differs in climate preference, size and flavor. Temperature, amount of light and the variety seem to affect coloration and intensity of blood oranges. In Texas, for example, varieties tend to have less pigmentation and even the highly colored types do not develop the dark-red coloration for which the blood oranges are noted. Moro, Sanguinelli and Jaffa are usually seedless and develop the most intense color, while Ruby is lightly flecked at best, with 10 to 15 seeds.
Coastal southern California fruit ripens from February to May, November to February in the low-elevation desert and February to May in the northern coastal region. Gulf Coast and Texas fruit ripens December to March. In Florida, Moros begin to mature in October. Usually Ruby and Moro are considered mid-season, while Sanguinelli is late season. Mid-season oranges mature in late November to early January, and late season oranges mature in February or March.
Production Costs The University of California Cooperative Extension service has prepared sample costs to establish a blood orange orchard. The costs are based on specific regions and types of irrigation systems found in California. These cost analyses can be used as a guide to help individual producers make production decisions, determine potential returns, prepare budgets and evaluate production loans. A hypothetical farm operation is used to derive the calculations. A 2002 study can be downloaded from the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, UC Davis Web site (http://www.agecon.ucdavis.edu/).
Marketplace The average American's morning glass of orange juice, However, in countries where the everyday glass of juice is made from blood oranges, it is less common to find the red-fleshed oranges used in cooking. The reverse is starting to happen here. Blood orange juice as a drink is a rarity, but chefs are beginning to take advantage of this enticing fruit's color and tart flavor for both sweet and savory dishes.
For these culinary reasons and the current craze regarding antioxidants for healthful living, the blood oranges being cultivated in California today are in demand by trendy commercial kitchens and creative household cooks. They are relatively easy to peel and section, and are virtually seedless. To complement the fruit and make sauces and soups, chefs also can buy imported frozen blood orange juice in retort pouches. Blood oranges are “trendy” and continue to gain popularity with gourmet chefs and food connoisseurs.
In spite of their visual appeal and outstanding flavor, only hard-core fruit fans have been asking for blood oranges in the United States. Although Europeans wake up to the juice of blood oranges, Americans customarily wake up to the juice of the common sweet orange. However, some specialty importer-distributors accentuate the quality aspects of the fruit to compete with domestic U.S. production for select markets.
Dream Foods International, based in California, is a wholesaler of European specialty food products, including blood orange juice. At their Web site, they explain the 'brand identity' given to the blood oranges grown in a small region of eastern Sicily. The European Union (EU) has designated the oranges from this area of Italy as a "EU Geographically Protected Variety."
U.S.-produced blood oranges command a range of prices. Specialty Produce, San Diego, California, sells Tarocco and Moro blood oranges. The 2006 price was $2.40 per pound for Taroccos and $3.20 per pound for Moros (http://www.specialtyproduce.com). Diamond Organics, Moss Landings, California, offered organic blood oranges at $3.59 per pound in late 2006 (http://www.diamondorganics.com/). McManigle Grove, located near Fallbrook, California, sells blood oranges online through Local Harvest at $3.90 per pound (http://www.localharvest.org/store/item.jsp?id=6525). World Variety Produce Inc, located in Los Angeles, sells California-produced blood oranges, along with other fruits and vegetables, for $5.77 to $6.15 per pound (http://www.melissas.com/index.cfm). Trends and Recent Developments
For the past 10 years, U.S. fresh fruit exports have generally increased in terms of value but have been relatively steady in terms of quantity. The increase in fruit exports from competitors is beginning to erode U.S. market share around the world. As a result, the U.S. share in the fresh fruit export market has declined since 2000, losing 3.2 percent in value and 2 percent in quantity of the export market. The largest importers of U.S. fruit were Japan, Canada, and the European Union.
In December 2006, the USDA increased its estimate of the 2006-2007 Florida orange crop from 135 million boxes to 140 million boxes. In contrast, Florida's 2005-2006 orange crop totalled 151 million boxes. This season's smaller crop is expected to result in higher orange juice retail prices, because in a normal year, around 95 percent of Florida's orange crop is processed for orange juice. According to the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), the largest importers of U.S. orange juice in 2004-05 were Canada, accounting for nearly 54 percent of the export total, and the European Union, accounting for 25 percent.
According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, California's 2005-2006 orange production, at 57.5 million boxes, was 11 percent lower than the previous season. The USDA Economic Research Service forecasts that the 2006-2007 California orange crop will be 1.7 million tons, 20 percent lower than last season and the smallest since 1998-99. The smaller crop and reported good-quality fruit are likely to push average fresh orange prices above last season because about 80 percent of the oranges grown in California are sold for fresh use. Leading importers of fresh oranges regularly include the European Union, Russia, Japan, the United States, and Canada.
The 2005-06 orange production in Texas was down 10 percent from the previous season, but a bigger orange crop is forecast in 2006-07. In contrast, the 2005-06 orange production in Arizona was up 5 percent from the previous season, while a smaller orange crop is forecast for 2006-07.
The USDA FAS produces a quarterly reference guide to world horticultural trade. The report shows Brazil is the current leader in orange juice exports, accounting for 48 percent of the world's market, followed by the United States, accounting for 37 percent. Other major juice exporters, in order, are the United States, Spain, Italy and Israel. Leading fresh orange exporters regularly include Brazil, the United States, China, Mexico, and Spain. The percentage of total orange exports that were blood oranges is difficult to determine. However, the USDA April 2005 GAIN Report cited that blood oranges in Japan have earned good reputations in Japanese hotels and restaurants. They are mainly used in cocktails and drinks. According to Tokyo citrus traders, Japan imported approximately 5,000 cartons (45 metric tons) of Moro oranges. U.S. Moro blood oranges usually are packaged in half-size (9-kilogram) cartons.
Evolving production and futures estimates can be tracked at several sources on the Internet (for example, http://investmenttools.com/futures/clo/ orange futures, orange production estimates).
Profile written October 2005 and revised December 2006
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