Orange oil is an essential oil produced by cold-pressing the ripe fruit skins of an orange fruit (Citrus sinensis). It is extracted as a by-product of orange juice production by centrifugation, producing a cold-pressed oil. It is composed by more than 90% D-Limonene. Other components are Alpha -Pinene, Sabinene, Beta-Pinene, Myrcene, Octyl acetate, Neryl acetate and aldehydes like Octanal and Decanal. It is a yellow to reddish-yellow liquid with a density of 0.843 g/cm3.
Biggest world orange fresh producer is Brazil followed by China, European Union, Mexico, Egypt, USA, South Africa, Turkey and Vietnam.
Production
Global orange production for 2022/23 is estimated 5 percent lower to 47.5 million tons.
Lower production in the European Union and the United States is only partially offset by a larger crop in Egypt. U.S. production is forecast to drop to 2.5 million tons, the lowest level in over 56 years. California is forecast to produce over twice as many oranges as Florida. Yields continue to decline in Florida due to fruit drop caused by citrus greening.
The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) is an insect that feeds on citrus. ACP can carry the bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (Clas) that causes the disease huanglongbing (HLB) known as citrus greening, which is the most threat to citrus.
Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of orange juice and derivatives like Orange oil, D-limonene and Orange Terpenes. The state of San Paulo is the biggest producer in Brazil (more than 70%) followed by Minas Gerais, Paranà and Bahia.
Brazilian first Orange Forecast for the 2023-2024 crop was published By Fundecitrus on May 10th, 2023.
The forecast is 309.3 mio boxes, a projected 1.5% volume decrease compared to the previous crop. The weather conditions are positive. Rains are 50% above historical average. The incidence of Asian citrus psyllid populations and of citrus greening is increasing in Brazil, too.
Average Brazil yield per hectare is estimated slightly up to 918 boxes per hectare, since average fruit per tree is down to 635 from 668 last year but average fruit weight is expected up to 165 grams from, 159.
The total Bearing trees in Brazil are 169.3 mio, occupying 227 ’091 hectares, a decrease of 2.1 % of the production area.
Prices
Orange oil quotations are still above 18 USD/kg, whereas D-Limonene and Orange Terpene are below 5.5-6.0 USD/kg. This is the biggest price gap between Orange Oil and D-Limonene ever seen.
Orange oil price should not decrease significantly for the following reasons: Top 10 Flavours and Fragrances Companies and major world Beverage companies have already started to commit big quantities for SEM II 2023 and 2024.
Demand is still good. No carryover from 2022-2023 crop is available. Hence, the 3 big Brazilian producers don’t feel any pressure to lower prices.
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