TECHNOLOGY

- Research and Development
- Harvesting techniques
- Post-harvest technology
- Processing technology

Technological advances are among the major reasons behind the expansion in citrus fruits and citrus products production and trade. These technological improvements allow to better control the growing process, increase efficiencies at every stage of the marketing chain, from grower to retailer, and improve the quality and shelf life of the products. The evolution of transport and storage techniques has also been a catalyst for the increasing availability of citrus fruits all around the year and fruits from different origins can now be consumed almost everywhere.

Research and development

Research and development in the citrus fruits sector is needed to increase productivity and yields, as well as to improve resistance of the fruit to diseases and pests and for finding the best ways to fight those diseases and pests. This research takes place in different areas, such as improvement of the varieties and genetics, molecular biology and biotechnology, phytosanitary aspects, physiology of production and nutrition and quality of the fruits. It is also in search for new varieties that meet consumer demands of taste and appearance (such as easy peelers and fruits without seeds), as well as for earlier and long lasting crops in order to have round-year availability of the fruit and longer shelf life.

Some interesting sites for citrus research and development are presented in the following list:
- International Society of Citriculture
- Global Citrus Germplasm Network
- Fundecitrus, Fund for Citrus Plant Protection
- Instituto agronomico Centro APTA Citros "Sylvio Moreira"
- Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA)
- Red Cítricos-IVIA
- Citrus Functional Genomics Project (CFGP), Universitat Politécnica de Valencia
- EGID Citrus network
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - Centre de Corse
- USDA Citrus and Subtropical Products Laboratory
- Citrus Research and Education Center, University of Florida
- Florida Citrus Resources
- California Citrus Research Board
- California Citrus Clonal Protection Program
- Citrus Research International
- Citrus Research Programme - FABI: University of Pretoria
- Procitrus
- South Australian Research and Development Institute
- International Citrus Genetic Resources, Genetic Resources Conservation Program, University of California
- International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), Descriptors for citrus
- CIRAD
- International Plant Genetic Resources Institute
- Managing Banana and Citrus diseases, INIBAP
- First International Citrus Biotechnology Symposium

Harvesting techniques

Productivity in the citrus growing fields can be improved by irrigation techniques and new fertilizing methods, as well as by mechanization processes for growing and moving the fruit. See, for instance:
- A Real Mover and Shaker Harvester Picks Ripe Citrus Faster et Mechanical Harvester Could Revolutionize Citrus Industry, Agricultural Research magazine, March 1998, USDA,
- Pallet Boxes for Florida Citrus, W. F. Wardowski and W. Grierson, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Publication date: January 1989. Revised: June 1994; March 2002
- Mecanización de las plantaciones de cítricos y economía de costes , J.Florentino Juste PérezVida Rural nº 112. 15 de julio de 2000.

Post-harvest technology

Innovations in handling, packing, transport and storage techniques are useful to guarantee that the fruit and the juices arrive to the consumer at the highest levels of quality. Advances in refrigerating technologies are very important for the development of fruit transport and allow for citrus fruits to reach the consuming centers faster and with better quality. The new methods for transporting perishable technologies control better the cold chain and allow for tracing the process through computerized systems.

Some interesting sites for post-harvest technologies:
- Florida Postharvest Citrus Information Guide,
- UC Postharvest Technology Research and Information Center,
- Postharvest Handling of Citrus, SARDI

Processing technology

Processing technology for the obtention of orange juice is usually based on the "Whole Fruit Extraction Principle" of juice extraction. It is a technology that extracts over 75% of the world's citrus juice production. This principle relies in the unique design of the extraction juicing components within the machine. These components interact in a manner that peel the orange and squeeze the juice out from the peeled orange through a strainer, all within a few fractions of a second. The result is a juice of extremely high quality that is ready to be consumed as fresh squeezed juice or it can be further processed into NFC or FCOJ. For more information, see:
- The FMC Whole Citrus Juice Extractor, The history of its conception an evolution. - Orange Juice Processing, Luis Cisneros-Zeballos, Department of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University
- Citrus Research and Education Centre-Processing, University of Florida, for citrus processing technologies.