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.
 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
Marmalade is even less attractive than
juice as a quantity outlet for our off-
grade 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—
85
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 1919-20,
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 1923-24 season.
The Porto Rican production has grown
from a very small beginning in 1919-20
to six thousand cases in 1920-21, forty or
fifty thousand cases in 1921-22, 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
 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
 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
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,
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!
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.
 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
 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
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.