Tests of Overseas Shipments of California Citrus Fruit -- Interrelations Between Fruit Condition, Biphenyl Content, Transit Temperature, Delayed Loading, and Biphenyl Pad Placement

Excerpts from the report: Fifty-one test shipments of citrus fruits were sent from California to Rotterdam, the Netherlands, during the main part of the marketing season of 1967. The shipments extended from late April to the first of September. Forty-five of the shipments were sent by railcar from California to the Atlantic seaboard, where they were transferred to ships bound for Rotterdam. The six remaining shipments were routed from the Los Angeles-Long Beach port area to Rotterdam via the Panama Canal. Valencia oranges were used in 36 of the test shipments, lemons in nine, and grapefruit in six. This series of test shipments was made to obtain data on the biphenyl residue in California citrus fruits protected by biphenyl pads, both on arrival of the fruit at western European ports and after it was held for a period equivalent to that needed for distribution to the various markets. These shipments also were designed to provide information on transit temperature and fruit condition associated with several methods of transportation.