answersLogoWhite

0

This site has the answer:

http://www.yourproduceman.com/news_may_9_05.html NAVEL ORANGES (Tuesday, May 10): This time of year, you can find some pretty dry Navel Oranges. In the produce industry, we call it "dry cell." You see, citrus is made up of hundreds of tiny water balloons. As the citrus stays on the tree throughout the season, more juice is going into the citrus. Well, what if the balloons are full? Adding more juice simply causes those "water balloons" to burst. When you get enough of them bursting, you end up with dry cell. As soon as you cut the Orange in half, you can see the dry cell. It looks like the inside is very pithy. To avoid Navel Oranges with dry cell, feel the orange in your hand. If it feels heavy for its size, that means there is a lot of juice inside. But if the orange feels very light for its size, then there is less juice, and most likely dry cell. You can't tell by just looking at the orange. You've got to feel the orange. Some years, we can find dry cell not only at the end of the season, but around December or January. That's when the San Joaquin Valley in California can get freezing temperatures. When water freezes, it expands. So, those little water balloons can burst, once again causing dry cell.

User Avatar

Wiki User

17y ago

What else can I help you with?