The durability of our citrus fruits
On some occasions, a few compared to the total number of orders, we receive complaints because some of the pieces in the box have gone bad. What causes some pieces to arrive in poor condition or to rot a few days after arriving home? The answer is a combination of various factors that are easy to understand but difficult to control.
Among the most determining causes are:
- The main factor that causes fruit to rot in general is fungi. Fungi that damage fruit are natural organisms that develop under suitable humidity conditions.
- All perishables, as the name suggests, perish, sooner or later. Who hasn't thrown away a piece of fruit from the fruit bowl at some point?
- Oranges from orchards that have not been sprayed with antifungals are more susceptible to fungal damage, even after harvesting.
At Naranjas de Cullera, we do not interfere with the shelf life of the fruit once it is harvested because we do not add waxes, fungicides, or preservatives for sale: they are fresh, natural oranges without post-harvest treatments.
- Transportation is also an important factor in this regard, as if a piece receives a blow and breaks, it can release its juice onto other pieces, causing them to become moistened with this organic liquid and potentially leading to rot. Although in a very high percentage of our shipments, the fruits arrive in perfect condition (as evidenced by numerous comments on both Google and our website), it is not unusual for a damaged piece to arrive due to a blow during delivery or changes in temperature or humidity.
- Finally, home storage is also important. Taking them out of the box and spreading them out to prevent moisture from condensing while changing the contact points between the pieces is key to minimizing the effects of moisture. Inside our citrus box, we provide a leaflet with instructions for proper storage.
Obviously, it can be quite frustrating to find a rotten piece of fruit as soon as you open the box, which may lead you to think that it was not fresh or that it was already in that condition when it was packed. Nothing could be further from the truth: at the time of harvesting, our expert pickers perform a field triage when they detect signs or early stages of rot while picking the oranges by hand and with clippers. Even on the tree, it is normal to find some failed, broken, or rotten fruit, which is not only not picked but also left to fall to feed the soil. A second triage takes place upon arrival, a little later, at our warehouse, where our other experts select, calibrate, and clean each piece one by one, so those suspected of rot are discarded.
Of course, finding rot in some fruit can be disappointing for anyone, especially if you are used to the aesthetic perfection of oranges from large supermarkets (see Ugly Oranges on our blog). Nevertheless, this is the ultimate proof that our oranges are fresh and free of post-harvest chemical additives. And this is one of the reasons for their exceptional taste, which is incomparable to other oranges distributed through different channels.
It is possible that the fruits sold in supermarkets may rot to a lesser extent. The biggest difference between our company and international supermarket suppliers is our working method. In most cases, these suppliers pick the fruits while they are still green to ensure their durability and keep them in climate-controlled chambers or artificially ripen them. They also apply waxes, preservatives, and antifungals to the citrus. Needless to say, in this whole process, no one has given much thought to the farmer or to the taste of the oranges that the consumer will actually eat. But these are "oranges from a different drawer."
We do our best to ensure that your order arrives in the best condition, and we sincerely believe that we succeed most of the time. Of course, the shelf life we stipulate on our website is approximate and always within the maximum useful life presumed for each variety, so we advise purchasing the quantity that can be consumed within that period.
We also take pride in offering our customers personalized service, so for any inquiries or complaints, please remember to always contact us at info@naranjasdecullera.com, and we will respond as quickly as possible.