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UPDATE: CALIFORNIA NAVEL DE-GREENING

November 16, 2023

De-Greening (Gassing)

  • By law, oranges must be mature when harvested in the United States but may exhibit yellow-green skins
    • Three levels of maturity must be met before harvesting
      • Juice content
      • Brix percentage (sugars)
      • Citric acid levels
  • When necessary, ethylene gas is applied to oranges to change the rind color from yellow or green to orange
    • The process of applying ethylene gas is known as de-greening, gassing, or curing
    • Ethylene gas only helps with the outside skin color, it does not change any other characteristics of the orange
  • The length of the de-greening process depends on skin color upon harvest
  • Currently California Navel oranges are being de-greened 72 to 96 hours

Please contact your Markon customer service representative for more information.

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