The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) California Citrus Program partnered with Kern County recently to host a Navel Orange Maturity Field Day at the Kern County Agricultural Commissioner’s office.
The educational event was proposed by CDFA’s California Citrus Advisory Committee after last season’s weather-related maturity challenges. It showcased navel orange minimum maturity standards with a focus on “orange color (A)” requirement and the California Standard Scale, an indicator of taste that measures the balance between brix (sugar content/sweetness) and acidity.
Many segments of the citrus industry attended the event, including citrus growers and handlers, labor contractors, industry associations and juice processors. Over 20 citrus packinghouses located throughout the state were represented.
The event kicked off with remarks from the industry and CDFA’s county partners. An overview of maturity requirements was presented and attendees took part in interactive exhibits previewing “orange color (A)” displays with examples of oranges meeting and failing the color requirement. Titration demonstrations highlighted the process used to measure the sugar-to-acid ratio that determines if a navel orange lot meets the California Standard maturity requirement. Kern County inspection staff offered courtesy color checks for industry members who brought navel orange samples. Courtesy color checks are performed early in the season at industry request to assist with the determining fruit readiness relative to the color requirement.
“Overall, the field day was a success,” CDFA California Citrus Program Supervisor Karrie Batchelor said. “It was a great opportunity for state and county staff to interact with citrus industry members in an informal setting to gain a better understanding of the navel maturity requirements and work through concerns that surfaced during last year’s harvest season. Many thanks to our collaborating partners at California Citrus Mutual for advertising the event and to Kern County staff for hosting and supporting the fruitful affair.”
The California Citrus Program is part of the Inspection & Compliance Branch of CDFA’s Division of Inspection Services.