What's wrong with my grapefruit?
April 25, 2017 9:25 AM   Subscribe

Most grapefruits are good and solid, but sometimes they're stringy and the sections fall apart. What causes this, and how do I avoid it?

I usually cut grapefruits in half and then use a grapefruit knife to cut out the sections, then squeeze the juice into the bowl.

Most of the grapefruits I buy (usually from Trader Joe's) are good to very good, firm and juicy and grapefruit-like.

Sometimes, though, they're sort of ... stringy, almost grainy, in patches; they seem sort of dried-out, and the sections don't hold together. They sort of fall apart in strings. I can get some juice when I squeeze them after removing the sections, but not a lot. Last year, I had weeks of these in a row. What is this, what causes it, and how can I avoid it?
posted by kristi to Food & Drink (5 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
A number of things can cause this: poor soil condition, underwatered trees, over-ripe fruit, too long in storage. Do you live in a citrus-producing area or are these coming from far-off?

You can never be 100% certain what's inside the peel, but the fruits that are heaviest proportionally usually are more juicy. Try using the produce scale to compare a few different ones before buying.
posted by epanalepsis at 9:36 AM on April 25, 2017 [3 favorites]


For any kind of citrus, I always try to choose one that seems heavy for its size, and has a thinner skin. It's not that grapefruits with a lot of pith can't be juicy, but I find the odds are better if there's less.

Also, not to get too woo on you, but you can get pretty far in choosing any type of produce by not overanalyzing it too much and just asking yourself if it feels like it's going to have whatever quality you want. For instance, if it's going to be a crisp apple or mealy, a seedy bitter eggplant or a mild one, etc.
posted by HotToddy at 10:15 AM on April 25, 2017


Along with the good advice above, it's usually worth using your nose before selecting. You may be able to identify sweet, neutral and "off" smelling ones and choose accordingly.
posted by oxisos at 10:32 AM on April 25, 2017


Stringy, grainy, and dried out sounds like the fruit might have gotten too cold while it was growing.

Frost Injury from UC Davis: "Citrus fruits can be damaged by frost as well. Within a few hours after a frost, the juice vesicles inside the fruit rupture as ice crystals form inside them. This results in water loss, causing the fruit to dry out."

Freeze Damage from Citrus Industry Magazine: "The first evidence of freeze injury is the presence of water-soaked areas on the segment membranes with the juice sacs or vesicles in injured areas subsequently becoming dry and collapsed (see Figure 6). Shortly after the freeze, cutting the fruit progressively from the outside to the inside (starting at the stem end) will show the amount of ice formed and its location. The deeper the ice is formed, the greater is the severity of injury. The frozen area will eventually dry out, leaving the injured fruit partially hollow and lighter in weight than sound fruit of comparable size. Juice loss occurs over a period of several weeks with the extent of loss being dependent on damage severity and weather conditions following the freeze."

Diseases and Disorders of Fruit from the UC IPM program: "Frost Identification tip: Dehydrated, dry pulp (left fruit) after exposure to cold weather in comparison with the moist, fully expanded flesh in an undamaged orange."

How to Check Citrus Fruit for Freeze Damage from SF Gate: "Freeze damage usually starts near the stem and spreads downward, depending on the extent of the freeze. Freeze-damaged citrus fruit often looks water-soaked at first. When fruit freezes, ice crystals form inside the juice vesicles. After a few hours, the juice vesicles burst, resulting in water loss. After a few days to a week, frozen fruit becomes dry and pithy inside."
posted by jocelmeow at 11:37 AM on April 25, 2017 [2 favorites]


Response by poster: Thanks for all the great answers. It's good to know it's most likely a growing issue and not anything to do with the way I'm storing it or anything.

Thank you!
posted by kristi at 10:13 AM on April 28, 2017


« Older on a plate or in a hill?   |   Marriage therapy or continue individual therapy? Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.