Quality and nutritive value of citric fruits

Abstract

The citric fruits are for the Romanian consumer imported fruits, appreciated for their nutritive and dietary qualities, a source of vitamins and minerals with numerous curative properties. Their valorization is made in certain quality conditions according to the European standards. Up to delivery, they must be kept in specific conditions. After the adhesion to the EU, the assortment diversified and extended with citric species and breeds unknown before. The quality of the citric fruits for fresh consumption is standardized for the Romanian consumers by SR 11084 from August 1996, which is drawn up in accordance with the European standard. This has as object 4 groups of fruits from this category: lemons, oranges, mandarins and grapefruits, with caracteristic categories. The conditions of general acceptability refer to whole fruits, healthy, untouched by rot, without alterations, damages or deteriorations from frost, clean, without any visible traces of treatment, without abnormal exterior humidity, without smells and/or strange tastes. The fruits will have an adequate maturity degree and development that might allow transport and manipulations and will arrive to destination with a normal coloration. For every three qualities are mentioned detalied characteristics and criteria. The calibration criteria are of the type of those existing for peaches and tomatoes meaning that over a certain caliber there is no correlation between diameter and quality. For every kind of citric fruits are mentionned the origin, the alimentar and dietetec value and also the directions of transformation. In this paper are discuted in the final part some conditions of handling and preservation, for every kind of fruit.