CURING OF LEMONS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23428, 18 August 1939, Page 11

CURING OF LEMONS

NEW PROCESS EVOLVED USE OF COAL GAS Coal pjas plays an important part in a new and very effective method of curing lemons, developed as the result of experiments carried out in the Dominion Laboratory, Wellington, by Mr. J. B. Hyatt and Mr. 0. H. Keys. Tauranga lemons, picked at the green and "silver" stages, were used for the tests. Under the treatment finally recommended, the lemons are stored for four weeks or longer in open trays in air at a temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit and at a moisture content of 90 per cent relative humidity. Coal gas in the proportion of one part to 1000 of air is supplied for the first week, when the full yellow colour is usually developed. The beneficial effect of the gas is due to the presence in small quantities of a constituent gas, ethylene. A remarkable" feature of the process is that it increases the total weight of juice by anything up to 15 per cent. Tho juice is also more mellow in flavour and contains a larger proportion of citric acid and vitamin C. The peel becomes about 25 per cent thinner, and. while the fruit loses 10 to 15 per cent in weight, this reduction is not at the expense of the juice content. The process, which is expected to be of great value to the Now Zealand citrus industry, is fully described in a bulletin just issued by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.