Skip to main content

UPDATE: CALIFORNIA VALENCIA ORANGES – RE-GREENING

April 30, 2026

Re-Greening (Gassing)

  • By law, oranges must be fully mature when harvested in the United States, but some 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 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 re-greening process depends on skin color upon harvest
  • Currently, California Navel oranges are being re-greened 48 to 72 hours

Please contact your Markon Account Manager for more information.

©2026 Markon Cooperative, Inc. All rights reserved.