Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Christmas Oranges

Detonationology - 14-12-2015 at 14:36

It's that time of year, I got myself a big ole bag of naval oranges. I sat down for a couple and while snacking, I noticed a subtle variation in the acidity, sweetness, and overall juiciness of the each "pod" within the same orange. Why could this be?

[Edited on 12-14-2015 by Detonationology]

careysub - 14-12-2015 at 14:40

It is well known among citrus growers that the blossom end of an orange in sweeter than the stem end. Citrus pickers would often cut the orange in half and only eat the blossom end when snacking while picking.

Detonationology - 14-12-2015 at 14:43

Would that mean that the naval is the sweeter portion?

careysub - 14-12-2015 at 18:06

Yes.

Zephyr - 14-12-2015 at 18:13

I wonder what causes this.
Could it have to do with less sunlight on the bottom half or liquids gravitating lower on the orange?

Morgan - 14-12-2015 at 18:15

Pineapples are sweeter at the bottom I have noticed.

chemrox - 14-12-2015 at 23:15

Gravity

Detonationology - 15-12-2015 at 05:28

This calls for an experiment from all corners of the world: 1. take some oranges, 2. turn some upside down and others stem side up. 3. Come back after a duration and sample the oranges. Perhaps a better test involving pH strips and Biuret's indicator could be devised to achieve the most solid, quantitative data.