Navel orange is a cultivated variety of sweet orange, a citrus plant in the Rutaceae family. The earliest variety of navel orange, the Washington navel orange, was derived from the branches of the Brazilian nugget orange in 1870. In the 20th century Initially, navel oranges were introduced to China through several introductions and cultivations.

Navel orange is a tree with few thorns or almost no thorns. The leaves are oval or oval-elliptical. The flowers are white and rarely have lavender red on the back. The fruit is spherical, oblate or oval. , orange-yellow to orange-red, with some umbilical cords formed by some underdeveloped carpel groups on the top of the fruit, the fruit core is solid or semi-full, and the flesh is light yellow, orange-red or purple-red. The flowering period is from March to May, the fruiting period is from October to December, and the late-ripening varieties are from February to April of the following year.

Extended information:

"In fact, fruits also need to be 'beautified'. If they are not waxed, after long-distance transportation and storage for a certain period of time, the moisture will be lost from the peel, which will not only make the fruit look bad. Yes, it will also affect the taste." Zhong Kai told reporters that the scientific name of edible wax used for fruits is "coating agent", including polydimethylsiloxane (a kind of silicone oil), palm wax, fruit wax, etc.

Zhong Kai told reporters: "The storage time of waxed fruits can be extended, which is also good for consumers." However, according to my country's "Hygienic Standards for the Use of Food Additives", the use of industrial wax is strictly prohibited. Fresh fruits are kept fresh. If individual traders use liquid paraffin or industrial wax for cheap, it will pose a potential threat to consumers.

“Fortunately, oranges do not eat their peels, so if there is any violation of the law in waxing, it will not cause health hazards.” Zhong Kai said, “But we cannot wait until citizens’ health is threatened before defining illegal activities. ."

People's Daily Online - Is there a problem with navel oranges? Let’s see how navel oranges are made

Baidu Encyclopedia-Navel Oranges