News Release

CSIRO Reduces 'Cellulite' In Oranges

Peer-Reviewed Publication

CSIRO Australia

CSIRO researchers, working with the company Phosyn PLC, have produced a spray-on treatment which will reduce the number of oranges developing costly and unsightly puffiness, not unlike cellulite.

"Albedo breakdown - or 'creasing' in the white layer under an orange's peel - can affect up to 90 per cent of the fruit grown by some growers," says Dr Michael Treeby of CSIRO Plant Industry, in Merbein (near Mildura), Victoria.

"It dramatically reduces the fruit's value and can cause them to split in transport before reaching the consumer," Dr Treeby says.

"The financial impact of albedo breakdown can be dramatic. Every one percent increase in the problem in the Australian orange crop wipes an estimated $1 or $2 million off the potential returns to producers," says Dr Treeby.

Dr Treeby says that scientists working closely with the citrus industry have demonstrated the benefits of the spray - which covers the outside of the peel with the mineral calcium - and have worked out the best time to apply it to fruit growing on the tree.

"Assessments by growers last season have shown a 20-25 per cent reduction in the number of fruit showing visible symptoms," says Dr Treeby.

"We have reduced the problem, not eliminated it," he says. "While the spray has lessened the incidence of albedo breakdown, the cause remains something of a scientific puzzle. It is known to be associated with low calcium in the fruit, but surprisingly it often appears on trees which are high in calcium, and whose foliage contains high levels of the mineral."

"Albedo breakdown does not affect internal fruit quality, but it makes oranges appear unsightly to consumers, down-grading their value from fresh-market to juicing - with a dramatic reduction in price."

"Albedo breakdown can also weaken the peel of oranges, causing them to split in transport - and one split orange can spoil an entire carton in an export shipment," Dr Treeby says.

The research has been supported by the citrus industry, the Horticultural Research and Development Corporation (HRDC) and Phosyn PLC.

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