The Canning of Grapefruit

Transcription

1 The Canning of Grapefruit Seth S. Walker, Exchange Supply Compdriy, Tampa For a number of years those who are interested in the citrus fruit industry of Florida have been seeking an outlet for the off-grade fruit, particularly grape fruit. Much experimentation has been done and a good many commercial vent ures have been launched along the lines of marmalade and juice manufacture, but these have usually resulted in failure or, at most, a rather indifferent success. So many hopes have been blasted and so many thousands of dollars lost in these ven tures that the entire subject of citrus fruit products fell into disrepute. In view of this situation nothing but a very unusuaj product could arouse the slumbering in terest and revive activity in the fruit prod uct work. Such a product is canned grapefruit. Seldom has a food product of any kind been introduced to the consuming and the investing public that has met with such immediate and universal approval; and in the realm of canned fruits grapefruit is unique. Not only is it more like the natural fresh fruit than any of its com petitors, but good authorities state that it is the only canned product which is liked by everybody at first acquaintance, and which nearly everybody likes better canned than fresh. In other words, most canned fruits are looked upon as a substi tute, to be used only when the fresh ar 84 ticle is not available; grapefruit is actually improved when properly canned. Canned grapefruit is a quality product, and this is no doubt the chief factor in its phenomenal success. But there are other features which differentiate it from the juice and marmalade which were the chief citrus fruit products formerly man ufactured. In comparing the canned fruit with juice it might be argued that the juice constitutes the real essence of the fruit, containing all the flavor and food value; that the flavor and freshness may be preserved in the juice just as well as in the meat of the fruit. There is more or less truth in this, but nevertheless it seems much more feasible to market this flavor and freshness in solid form rather than as a liquid. The public is so used to being duped with artificial fruit drinks that they are skeptical regarding the gen uineness of any liquid product; when the solid meat of the fruit is offered to them its genuineness is obvious and no argu ment is needed. Moreover, it requires a relatively small amount of juice to satisfy the average consumer's thirst, but that same consumer will develop an almost un limited capacity for the canned article. Go home and try it on yourself! The juice is, at most, a beverage to be taken at soda fountains or incidental to a meal; the solid fruit meat, with a few simple acces sories, constitutes the meal itself.

2 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 85 Marmalade is even less attractive than juice as a quantity outlet for our offgrade fruit. A very few carloads of fruit will make all the marmalade that can prof itably be sold in competition with the flood of apple-base jams and other concoctions now on the market. A very great handicap to both the juice and the marmalade industries has been the cost of glass containers. The tins which are used for canning are much cheaper than glass both in price and in freight charges. Summarizing what has been said so far, it appears that the chief points which dis tinguish canned grapefruit from other cit rus fruit products are its physical form being the solid meat, free from bitter rag and the fact that it is marketed in tin rather than in glass. One naturally asks, "Why were these points so long in being developed?" In the first place, to those of us who were experimenting with fruit products it did not seem possible that the grapefruit meats could be removed from the bitter membranes without so much expensive hand labor as to make it prohibitive. As regards the tin cans, we, in our great wis dom (!) were positive that it would be ridiculous to use tin for such an acid product as grapefruit. As recently as October, 1921, one of the foremost chem ists connected with the canning industry in America advised me that, although he had had no experience with grapefruit canning, he was sure the product was too acid to be kept in tin for any length of time. It was largely because of these two factors expensive labor and the belief that citrus fruits were too acid for tin that tin cans were not introduced into the citrus fruit products industry long ago. At any rate, the honor of making that introduction went to our neighbor to the; south of us, Porto Rico. Porto Rico was in somewhat the same situation with her grapefruit that Hawaiia was with her pineapples some twenty years ago. Being an island, located far from the consuming centers which could be reached only by axi uncertain water haul, she had many dif ficulties in marketing the fresh fruit. She was not burdened by Florida's handicaps of expensive labor and too much expert knowledge. And so, not knowing that the thing couldn't be done, she went ahead and did it and got away with it splendidly! The first grapefruit canning was done in Porto Rico in the season of , by a concern known as the Yankee Prod ucts Co. This company operated for two years and then changed its name to "The Arecibo Grapefruit Co." Their lead was quickly followed by the Spanish American Fruit Co., and in the early part of 1922 several other companies began operation. Still other factories were opened the fol lowing year, and it is said that there will be at least nine factories in operation in Porto Rico during the season. The Porto Rican production has grown from a very small beginning in to six thousand cases in , forty or fifty thousand cases in , and about two hundred thousand cases in the season just closed. In Florida the first successful grape fruit canning was done by the Polk Com pany at Miami two or three years ago. This was the only factory operated in Florida previous to the present season

3 86 FLORIDA STATJJ HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY which ba$ witnessed the entry of at least five additional companies into the field and the establishment.of about seven fac tories, with a total output of approximate ly 150,000 cases. The indications are that this number will be more than doubled next season. California, has also produced some canned grapefruit for the first time this year, but I am not familiar with the de tails of the situation there. Naturally in a jiew industry such as this, with no precedents or standards for guidance, there is great variation in the factory, methods employed. In fact it may be said that there are almost as many methods as there are factories. As al ready stated, one of the chief difficulties to be overcome is the separation of the segments or meats of the fruit from the peel and bitter membranes. This has been accomplished in a number of different ways. In some factories the thick skin, together with the circumferential mem brane, is sliced off with a sharp knife; in others the same result is accomplished by means of a curved knife which fits the contour of the fruit and removes the peel practically in one piece; in still others the fruits are cored and quartered and the curved knife is applied to each quarter separately. In some cases the peeling is done in two operations, the thick peel being* first removed by various devices, and the thin circumferential membrane then removed either by a knife or chem icals. After peeling, the fruit is sometimes cored in order to separate the segments from each other more easily with the fin gers, and sometimes the segments are re moved from the uncored fruit by means of a knife.., Of course the object in all of these methods is to separate the segments of fruit a& whole as possible from the bitter parts and seeds, and to do this with a minimum of waste and hand labor. The fruit segments are either packed directly into the cans by the same girls who do the separating, or they are passed on to other girls who inspect them and carefully pack them by hand. So far as I know, none of the factories is using a filling machine since the fruit segments are too delicate and easily broken to be handled by machinery. Nearly all of the factories are using more or less sugar in the canned grape fruit. Some of them add the sugar in dry form, depending upon the juice which "bleeds" from the fruit to furnish the necessary liquid; others add a syrup made from juice and sugar; and others use a plain water syrup. After the cans are packed and syruped they are exhausted either by heating in a water bath or in a steam box. The ob ject of the exhaust, of course^ is to drive the air out of the can and expand the con tents so that when the can is sealed and afterwards cooled to room temperature it will contain a partial vacuum. The ex haust is recognized as an important step in practically all canning operations, but it is perhaps of unusual importance in the case of grapefruit. The exhausted cans are sealed ^vhile still hot and are then given another heat ing, known as the "process." The va rious grapefruit canning factories are us ing a number of different types of process ing equipment. Some have the old style open kettles into which baskets filled with cans are dipped; at least one is using a

4 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY patented continuous cooker of standard type; and still others are passing the cans oft conveyors through open tanks of hot water. There is said to be a considerable difference in the time and temperature of processing, as well as exhausting, used at the various factories. After processing, the cans are cooled in cold water and are ready to be labeled and sold. Just as with all canned goods, they should be stored for a week or more be fore shipping so as to sort out any leakers or swells that may develop. Up to the present time practically the only size of can used for grapefruit has been the standard No. 2, which holds twenty ounces net. A few attempts have been made to use No. 10 (so-called gallon size) cans, but these have not been very successful. The trouble seems to have been that the amount of heat used to ster ilize these large cans through to the center overheated and damaged the product. In conclusion I will say that, although the grapefruit canning industry has pro gressed beyond the experimental stage, it is still very young and no doubt is still far from that degree of perfection which will come with experience. It will be nec essary to go through a period of trials and vicissitudes before this new infant, husky though he may be, finds his stride and takes his rightful place along side of his close relative, canned pineapple. In the meantime it behooves us to treat the infant with every consideration. We must not impose unduly upon his apparent strength, but must coddle and foster this strength lest we nip it in the bud. "Qual ity first" should be the slogan of every one who contemplates taking a part in the new industry. It is here to stay in spite of all adversities, but the speed of its growth can be greatly hampered by even a little carelessness or negligence. The consumer who has never seen canned grapefruit is going to form his opinion of the new product by the first can that falls into his hands. Let us make it impossible for that opinion to be other than a good one! C. E. Stewart, Jr., in chair: Are there any questions you would like to ask Mr. Walker? We have invited here today seven or eight gentlemen who are associated with other canneries and a government man in the Food Inspection Department, and some people who have been to Porto Rico investigating the sys tem there. I believe Mr. Walker is ready to answer any questions if you want to ask him. Member: I would like to inquire at what temperature the grapefruit is canned? So many of our acid fruits, for example grapefruit, plums, apricots, or even oranges, whenever heated to any thing like boiling point, have chemical changes taking place, that make the fla vor unrecognizable to any one that has tasted the fruit. It seems to me it takes a rather low temperature to avoid that change. Walker: So far as I know the lowest temperature is 180 degrees Fahrenheit, but some use thq boiling temperature. It varies between 180 and 212. Each man thinks his own particular way is the best.

5 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.Stewart: I want to introduce Mr. Ralph Polk who was the first one to start the canning industry ny Fldridla, starting it in Miami. Polk: Calling up the question, I want to say I eat fresh grapefruit every morn ing for breakfast. On the other hand I have three warehouses filled with canned fruit. I don't think any one has ever thought that the canned grapefruit would be a competitor of the raw prod uct. But it gives the women something to use at the beginning of a dinner or as a salad in these days of dining and card attractions. The ladies want to save la bor. I am not yet convinced that the experi mental stages of grapefruit canning have been entirely passed. The business is absolutely in its born state up to today, and many difficulties are still to be met in canning this product. One difficulty is that of pin holing in the can. It orig inally developed in about five to eight months after the product was in the tin. The products we have canned in Miami, have so far shown no signs of pin hol ing; at the same time I cannot help re membering in 1894 that my father in curred a $60,000 loss in one year because the manufacturers of chemicals gave him impure chemicals that caused black corn. The corn canning industry is hav ing trouble now with black corn. So we feel, in so far as we are con cerned, that the industry is not an indus try which is up to date. At the present time the market is not over crowded. Porto Rico packed five tons last year. To that California added a new variety. I believe that ultimately there will be a splendid outlet for this product; The product has all the quality, and all of the promising features that ^e get from the Hawaiian Pineapple. The big question is that of quality. You know that a new business of this sort has some glamour to it and it at tracts two classes of people. One is the promoter and the other is the man who has made a failure of everything he has tried. If the influence of these men should prevail, the industry is going to have a severe jolt. I think the State really needs to consider this feature, se-: riously, and it seems to me that in en couraging this enterprise, care should be taken as to encourage only those who really understand something of canning, and something of the control of a pro duction of the product. As I drive over thestate, I see many new grapefruit canning plants which are going to increase in number in the next four or five years. If this matter of quality is maintained in these canneries, I believe the industry will be safe. Stewart: I am going to call upon Mr. Wagner of the American Can Company, who has spent a considerable time in the study of quality and of the needs of the industry for starting right. Wagner: Before I rose, Mr. Clark whispered in my ear that I guess we have not left much for you to say, which is right. It might be interesting for you to know something of the competitive feature of canning here and canning in Porto Rico. The biggest point of inter est lies in the labor question. Our labor is higher than theirs. Women workers receive from 4^ to 6 cents per hour, and

6 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY the men from 50 to 70 cents a day. Often we have thought that they were worth just about that much, and they are not over intelligent. You can teach them to do a certain thing in a certain way, but if you want to change that method, you surely have a job on your hands. In 1919 and 1920, cull fruit was purchased for. $14.00 per ton, and during the past season it was bought at $25.00, and went as high as $28.00 per ton for graded fruit. There are at present eight canner ies and two more in readiness for next year. Only two of those factories are situated on the railroad; all of the other canneries must truck to the shipping dock. We do have, however, some heavy trucks that help out. It is needless to say that the canning of grapefruit has been a wonderful thing to Porto Rico. They have always had trouble with shipping conditions. Dur ing the war many ships sailed, leaving the fruit standing on the dock because there was no room for it aboard. The growers are still meeting that same con dition. At the present time there is only one ship that is properly equipped with refrigeration. It is needless to say that the growers are not surprised when they get the news that their shipments have arrived in New York with a high per centage of rot. At the present prevail ing prices, the canneries provide a won derful protection to the grower. If he cannot get $3.00 to $3.25 for fruit in New York, it is more profitable to take even his first grade to the canneries. If the market is low he can save that fruit by preserving it in tins. Next year Porto Rico has set a goal. They packed around 200,000 cases this year and hope to reach 500,000 next year, and in ten years they hope to ship one million cases. Stewart: That may be disturbing in formation to you but you may be sur prised to know that the number of cases of canned pineapple sold in the United States last year was 500/200,000 We will now hear from Mr. LeFevre, manager of the Winter Haven Fruit Products Company. Lefevre: I don't have very much to say, but will say that we have packed up to date, 33,000 cases, meaning 1% million of grapefruit. We expect to pack a total of 50,000 cases and are working day and night on better meth ods to improve the quality of canned grapefruit. I believe with Mr. Stewart, that in the" next five years at least one million cases of grapefruit will be canned in the State of Florida. We will, how ever, have to educate the people to eat grapefruit out of a can. I wish that when you people pass through our town you would drop in and see what we are doing. I have some very able men help ing me. Stewart: I will ask Mr. Moffett of Orlando to say just a word. Moffett: Mr. Stewart says we have two minutes; therefore, I shall beg your indulgence if I refer to two points which have already been spoken of. One by Dr. Phillips. He has stated that not 50 per cent of the people who eat grapefruit in this country know whether it is a Flor ida grapefruit or a California grape fruit. I agree with him thoroughly. I am interested in mentioning this because I happen to be a Florida product who

7 90 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY knows grapefruit and I am very much interested in seeing our State go forward to the front. Until recently our fresh grapefruit has been kept out by the State of California. Last summer when I went to New York with samples of my canned grapefruit it was taken up by one of the Journals and notice given which brought in a flood of letters from California merchants and brokers and I had offers for more orders for Florida grapefruit coming from California than I could possibly turn out. Another point which I would like to touch on is the question asked the gentle men over-here as to the by-products that are being thrown out. There was a time when the canning of grapefruit in it self required a long, close study and ap prenticeship. I happened to go in with my father when I left College and later went over to Europe and was in a busi ness which brought me very closely to the citrus end. I can safely say that we are throwing away immensely more val ues than we are ushig. I am looking for ward to the day when our canneries will utilize the by-products. With reference to canning of grape fruit, there is no secret about it; it is very simple. If one has clean utensils and a good reliable thermometer, he can can grapefruit. I am operating a little factory here in Orlando. I mention it for this reason, that it will verify my statements and justify the protection that is needed in a packitig: house. There is scarcely a grower in the State of Flor ida who will not be able to use all of their culls by putting themn in cans and making an A-i article, as has been said. This industry is destined to be the great est industry in the State of Florida. I have been enthusiastic over this because I have predicted that things are going to happen.