Edible Products. 



438 



[May, 1909. 



thrown back for years. When, for in- 

 stance, the earthquake occurred the 



{)rice per Sicilian pound (12 ounces) of 

 enion oil, of which there is a very large 

 yield in Sicily andanacUve demand in 

 practically all countries, was about 3s., 

 but heavy speculation quickly forced 

 it up to 7s. 6d ., at which figure a fair 

 trade was done ; later on the price rose 

 to 10s., and lots were eagerly bought 

 even at that high price, which, further- 

 more, led to wholesale adulteration. At 

 the present moment the spot price is 

 about 5s., but it, as well as the price of 

 other citrus products, may probably rise 

 again as the result of the cablegram 

 received this week stating that the ruin 

 of Messina has been completed. 



As India is the original home of the 

 lime, the question arises whether the 

 time has not come when this country 

 might with advantage take its share in 

 the citrus trade, in which there is 

 always a good deal doing, and in which, 

 owing to climatic conditions, it is not 

 open to every country to compete. The 

 cultivation of limes in India, says Sir 

 George Watt, if organised on a com- 

 mercial scale, Avould necessarily involve 

 full advantage being taken of each and 

 every profitable outlet, such as the pre- 

 servation of the fruit (fresh and candied), 

 production of lime juice, and the manu- 

 facture of perfumes and oils such as oil 

 of lemon, bergamot, neroli, etc. He adds 

 that the lemon tree begins to yield 

 when five years old, when 15 to 20 years 

 it gives 1,000 lemons, and when full-grown 

 may afford from 3,000 to 5,000. The 

 yield of such fruit per acre varies greatly, 

 but it is believed that careful cultiva- 

 tion will produce from 150 to 200 barrels 

 aunually, each barrel containing from 

 1,400 to 1,600 lemons according to the 

 size of the fruit. The citrus industry is 

 a simple one and is well adapted to the 

 kind of labour obtainable in India. To 

 obtain lemon oil, the peel is soaked in 

 water for an hour or two and is then 

 pressed by hand over a sponge in order 

 to separate the oil. If, however, the 

 peel is to be candied, only half of the 

 oil is thus expressed ; otherwise as much 

 as can be squeezed out is taken and the 

 waste peel used as cattle fodder. The 

 yield of oil varies according to the 

 conditions of moisture. In localities 

 where the annual rainfall is from 60 to 

 100 inches, the citric acid content of the 

 juice of the fruit is high and the yield of 



oil is low ; but where the rainfall is 

 high— say from 130 to 200 inches— the 

 citric acid content is low and the yield 

 of oil high. In practice, however, the 

 amount of oil obtained from the peels of 

 1,000 lipe lemons varies from 0'7 to l'51b. 

 To prepare lime juice the pulp is pressed 

 between rollers and the juice so obtained 

 is known in the trade as " single" juice. 

 This juice is then boiled down till its 

 specific gravity equals 60 degrees on the 

 citrometer. It then forms a dark brown 

 rather syrupy liquid, having a specific 

 gravity of T24, and is known com- 

 mercially as " concentrated " lemon juice. 

 The manufacture of citric acid from 

 concentrated lemon juice is also a fairly 

 simple matter. Whiting is mixed with 

 water and heated by steam in a wooden 

 vat provided with a revolving agitator, 

 The concentrated juice is then slowly 

 pumped in, care being taken that the 

 whiting is finally in small excess. The 

 precipitated citrate is washed with hot 

 water, treated with sulphuric acid, and 

 is finally granulated by evaporating 

 the moisture. This acid is chiefly used 

 by calico printers, but it is also largely 

 employed in the preparation of effervesc- 

 ing drinks and also in medicine. 



There is reason to believe that limes 

 and lemons can be cultivated practically 

 in every district in India, and that a 

 large trade could be organised, parti- 

 cularly so if special arrangements were 

 made on board steamers for carrying 

 the ripe fruit in crates or ventilated 

 barrels, as it would be greatly injured if 

 shipped in the hold with mixed cargo. 

 But the manufacture of oil, concentrated 

 lime juice and citrate is independent of 

 such special arrangements and may be 

 commended as a suitable industry for 

 India as the necessary plant— consisting 

 of a hand mill, mill-house, two boilers, 

 boiling house, vats and still — may be 

 acquired at a total cost of about 

 Rs. 4,600. It is recommended that the 

 factory should be so arranged that the 

 crushing house is on higher ground than 

 the boiling house, in order that the juice 

 may run by gravitation from the well to 

 the storage vats, from the vats to the 

 still, from the still to the copper boilers, 

 where it is concentrated, thence to 

 wooden or copper coolers and finally 

 into casks for shipment. — Indian Trade 

 Journal, Vol. XII., No. 151, February, 

 1909. 



