OCR Text |
Show SWEATING FRUIT IS VIOLATION OF LAW Food and Drugs Act Prevents Interstate In-terstate Shipment of Immature Oranges and Grapefruit. (From the United States Department of Agriculture.) Growers and shippers of oranges and grapefruit are making inquiries of the United States department of agriculture in reference to what action ac-tion will be taken by the department during the coming season toward preventing pre-venting the shipment into interstate commerce of immature citrus fruits which have been artificially colored by sweating. The officials In charge of the enforcement of the food and drugs act state they will be guided in their action by the position of the department previously announced, to the effect that the shipment in interstate inter-state commerce of immature oranges and grapefruit, which are sweated either ei-ther before shipment or en route, is a violation of the food and drugs act when the sweating conceals inferiority inferior-ity by making unripe fruit appear to be ripe. The sweating process turns the green color of the unripe fruit to yellow, and fruit so treated has the appearance of being ripe. However, extensive investigations by the department depart-ment have shown that the sweating process does not ripen the immature fruit. One of the tests to determine whether wheth-er or not an orange Is mature is the so-called "eight-to-one test." This test is based on the ratio of the soluble solids to the acid contained in the mice of the orange. The soluble sol-Ids sol-Ids increase as the oranges ripen, while the acid decreases. The oranges or-anges are considered immature until the juice contains soluble solids equal to, or in excess of, eight parts to each part of acid contained In the juice. The amount of soluble solids in orange or-ange juice is about equivalent to the amount of sugar it contains. The ratio ra-tio of the sugar to the acid in the juice determines the sweetness of the orange. In the case of grapefruit, maturity is indicated by a ratio of seven sev-en parts of soluble solids in the juice to one part of acid. The United States department of agriculture will send to any grower or shipper, upon request, specific directions for making the eight-to-pne test. The position of the United States department of agriculture in reference to the sweating of immature citrus fruit is stated in Food Inspection Decision De-cision 133, and in Service and Regulatory Regu-latory Announcements of the Bureau of Chemistry numbered 11 and 15, which will be furnished upon application to the department. |