Over the past two decades, citrus greening disease has decimated crop production in Florida, Texas, and other citrus-growing states. Since the disease was first detected in Florida in 2005, researchers from the public and private sectors have rushed to provide a solution, relying heavily on antimicrobial chemicals and quarantine techniques. Finally, citrus growers and downstream customers who rely on natural citrus ingredients have reason to be hopeful.
The latest citrus greening news is prompting some to declare an end to the disease – but is citrus greening still a problem?
What Is Citrus Greening Disease?
Also known as Huanglongbing (HLB), citrus greening is a bacterial infection that affects citrus trees’ vascular system. The microbe is usually spread by two insect species, the Asian citrus psyllid, and African psyllid. As their names suggest, neither of these insects is native to North America, which is one reason why it’s been a new challenge for domestic growers in Florida, Texas, and California.
The Impact of Citrus Greening in the US
The first case of citrus greening in Florida was reported in 2005, and its impact was as seismic as it was immediate. Florida’s orange crop declined from 242 million boxes in 2004 to just 41 million in 2022. Since 2005, the state’s total citrus production has fallen by 75%, while production costs have doubled. While there are several contributing factors to the decline in Florida’s orange production, citrus greening has played an outsized role.
By 2012, the disease spread regionally to South Carolina, Louisiana, Texas, and Georgia, and internationally, throughout Brazil, China, most of Africa, and Southeast Asia.
How to Identify Citrus Greening Symptoms
The earliest indicators of infection include a yellow tinge to tree leaves, small and misshapen fruit, bitter-tasting fruit, and premature leaf drop. In many cases, all of these symptoms are present within weeks of exposure. Pictures of citrus greening often highlight green splotches at the bottom of ripened fruit, a telltale sign of a contaminated tree.
Citrus Greening Treatment and Prevention
For decades, citrus greening disease prevention focused on regular crop inspections and monitoring for the presence of citrus psyllid insects in the growing region. State agencies, citrus grower organizations, and chemical companies have invested billions of dollars to monitor and test for psyllid populations and sample citrus plants, all while researching new insecticides and other mitigation methods.
To be clear, there is no effective long-term citrus greening treatment or cure (although some companies have effective ways to suppress the disease’s impact on citrus crops). Treatments like Invaio Sciences’ antimicrobial injection do not cure or eliminate the disease but suppress it enough to increase crop yield by an average of 30%. Additional treatments may further increase crop yields, but the solution requires recurring applications and is only viable when introduced in young trees.
Long-Term Citrus Greening Management
Because bacteria cause citrus greening disease, trees face the constant threat of reinfection. Treating an entire grove of orange trees provides short-term protection, but there’s a good chance the local psyllid population will reintroduce the disease again in the future.
Fortunately, there are organizations working to solve the problem long-term. Pharmaceutical giant Bayer is working with the Citrus Research and Development Foundation and has received over $15 million in USDA funding. From citrus greening-resistant trees to one-time injection or spray treatments, all solutions are on the table, and the investment is certainly worthwhile; the US citrus industry is worth more than $3.3 billion annually and employs over 16,000 people nationwide.
The Impact of Citrus Greening in Florida
No US state has felt the impact of the disease as acutely as Florida. Citrus greening has devastated Florida growers and low supply has hurt buyers of raw citrus. While 10% of surviving citrus crops are sold as produce, 90% are processed for juice, flavors, and other raw materials used in dozens of applications across every industry. As recently as 2021, the citrus industry’s contribution to the national economy was estimated at $2.8 billion; in 2003-2004, the industry was valued at $9.29 billion.
Florida’s resilient citrus community remains upbeat, and as more citrus greening control measures are introduced, we expect a long, fruitful return to prominence on the national stage for the industry.
Florachem Is Committed to Florida Citrus
As one of the nation’s leading citrus ingredient suppliers, Florachem shares the concerns and commitments of our partner producers and manufacturers who rely on high-quality citrus fruit. We’re doing everything we can to support citrus greening research. We’re committed to protecting the region’s critical agricultural roots. Learn why Florachem is planted in Florida; contact our team today.
Citrus oils provide a range of food and beverage, flavor and fragrance, and additional manufacturers with flexible, natural ingredient solutions that improve current and future product offerings.
As a core component of formulations serving an array of industries, citrus oils are worth revisiting for their role in everything from popular food and beverage products to enhancing industrial solvents and cleaners.
What Is Citrus Oil?
Citrus oils are versatile bio-based ingredients used to improve the flavor or fragrance characteristics of a wide range of products. These oils are derived from the peel or rinds of citrus fruits and are primarily sourced domestically from California and our home state of Florida. Overseas producers in Italy and Spain also contribute to fruit and raw ingredient production.
Citrus Oil Extraction Methods
Manufacturers shape eventual formulations during the extraction process. The two most common citrus oil extraction methods are cold-pressing and steam distillation.
Cold-press extraction—Peels are ground and pressed to extract the essential oil stored in tiny glands that line the peel. The result is a highly concentrated, extremely aromatic oil substance.
Steam distillation—Steam is forced through the peel to pull oil from the glands. The steam and oil are then condensed and separated, resulting in concentrated oil substance. Steam distillation is primarily, but not exclusively, used to extract oil from limes.
There are other ways to produce citrus oils, though they are primarily reserved for other essential oils, such as floral or bark-based aromas.
The Benefits of Citrus Oils for Manufacturers
Citrus scents are instantly recognizable by consumers and for many, elicit strong physical and emotional responses. Aromatherapy enthusiasts ascribe stress-relieving and mood-boosting benefits to citrus oil, and some laboratory tests on lemon oil give considerable weight to these claims.
Manufacturers have long relied on citrus oil for more utilitarian purposes in industries as diverse as oil and gas fields to pharmaceuticals. Providing far more value than eliminating unpleasant odors, citrus oils are used in the manufacturing of:
Antioxidants
Antidiabetics
Antifungals
Antibacterials
And more.
Citrus oil suppliers like Florachem adjust and adapt citrus oil ingredients to improve the performance of the characteristics prized for each application.
Citrus oil’s versatility is exemplified by its role across industries. It’s a critical part of crafting safe food products, enhancing sanitation, and improving countless consumer and industrial cleaning products.
Food and Beverage
In addition to providing fresh, invigorating flavors in food and beverage products, citrus oils offer a natural, clean-label alternative to synthetic ingredients. Citrus oils can also be used to preserve foods against microbial decomposition and oxidative degradation.
Cosmetics and Skincare
Citrus oils effectively remove bacteria, dead skin cells, and irritants to improve overall skin health and address common issues like acne.
Insect Repellent
Citrus oils, particularly citronella and eucalyptus citriodora (lemon bush eucalyptus), are natural alternatives to petroleum-derived, chemical-based products.
Cleaning and Degreasing
Citrus oils are core components of household and industrial cleaning products, playing key roles in the formulation of degreasers and solvent formulations. From everyday dish soap to cleaning oils and natural gas extraction equipment, citrus oils are a reliable, safe, and effective choice for manufacturers and consumers alike.
Citrus Essential Oils
Few scents are as impactful as citrus. Fragrance oil suppliers rely on citrus fragrance oils for popular aromatherapy products like essential oils, lotions, candles, and more.
The Citrus Oil Market Upside
Citrus oils enjoy tremendous upside as an in-demand specialty ingredient. With exposure to several industries and a finite number of competitors, the global citrus industry is expected to exceed $10 billion in 2025. Individual market segments, including citrus essential oils, are forecast to exceed the $1 billion mark by the middle of the next decade.
Source the Quality Citrus Oil Ingredients from Florachem
Florachem provides high-quality, in-demand orange and lemon citrus oil to manufacturers across a range of industries.
Our multi-location operations in Florida give us ready access to citrus fruits and our industry-leading production facilities give us the means and expertise to adjust formulations for your specific needs.
See what makes us America’s most trusted source of citrus oils. Contact our team today to learn more!
Organic, bio-based solvents are safer, more environmentally friendly, and substantially reduce the industry’s reliance on non-renewable resources. Solvents play a vital role in diverse industry applications. Their collective ubiquity makes them both incredibly useful and a potential strain on the environment.
Over the past decade, suppliers have made tremendous progress in engineering natural solvents.
What Solvents Are Made from Natural Sources?
Manufacturers are creating natural solvents from fruits, vegetables, grains, and other naturally occurring compounds.
For example:
Terpenes – Derived from many plants, terpenes are used in paints, varnishes, personal care products, and flavor and fragrance applications.
D-Limonene – Citrus-based d-Limonene is a citrus extract used extensively across industries. D-limonene is a Florachem staple and tops the list of green solvents in terms of safety and versatility.
Ethanol – Derived from fermented grains or sugarcane, ethanol is used in cosmetics, cleaning products, and food flavorings.
Alcohols – Several alcohols, including isopropyl, are made from corn and other starches and used in a variety of applications.
Methyl acetate – Found in both fruits and vegetables, methyl acetate is a natural alternative to harsh chemical solvents in paints and adhesives.
Other natural solvent examples include pine oil, soybean-based oils, and citrus ingredients.
Natural, Organic, Sustainable – and Marketable
For consumer products, sentiment continues to shift toward a strong preference for natural and organic ingredients in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, residential and commercial cleaning products, food, and textiles.
More than ever, consumers expect manufacturers to reduce their environmental impact and provide them with products that are safer, healthier, and more sustainable.
Sustainability, in short, means marketability, and the demand for green, organic solvents is only growing. More than 60% of consumers say they prefer to purchase environmentally friendly products and support brands that make them.
So, it’s not surprising, then, that many manufacturers are scrambling to source and integrate bio-based solvents alongside other responsibly sourced inputs.
The Benefits of Adopting Organic or Natural Solvents Today
Switching to natural solvents offers industrial and commercial end users immediate health and safety improvements, as well as sustainability benefits. For example, natural solvents are made from renewable feedstocks that are:
Biodegradable
Non-carcinogenic
FDA-approved for food use
Free of ozone-depleting chemicals
Put Sustainability First with Florachem
As a globally recognized leader in organic solvents, rosins, resins, and oils, Florachem provides the best natural solvents for various end-use applications, with deep industry experience to craft unique formulations.
Making the move to responsibly sourced solvents? Get in touch or call 904-567-8080 today to get started!
The pine oil market is experiencing a period of exciting growth forecast to match the pace of the broader specialty chemical industry. Consumers and brands are asking for and benefitting from this sustainable alternative to traditional synthetic or petroleum-based ingredients.
As demand has grown, market forces have led to the invention of more efficient extraction processes. This overview of the pine oil manufacturing process explains the basics of pine oil production and provides use cases for this increasingly vital product.
The Essentials of Pine Oil Extraction
Like all essential oils, pine oil can be extracted using various methods. The most efficient pine oil-making processes are steam distillation, solvent extraction, and microwave extraction (ME). Each method has advantages and disadvantages. Some are better suited to creating specific pine oil aroma products like Pine 85 or solvents like FloraSolvTM LX307.
Steam Distillation
Steam distillation is the most common method for extracting pine oil. As the name suggests, this method utilizes steam to vaporize volatile compounds from raw pine material, which may include sap (used in resin production) or pine needles (typically used in essential oils).
There are three key steps to steam distillation. While proprietary and formulation methods may vary slightly, most pine oils are extracted using this general process:
Raw pine materials are added to a large still, usually made from stainless steel. High-temperature steam is then pumped into the still.
The vaporized plant compounds travel to the condensation flask or condenser. The condenser is outfitted with two pipes. The first allows hot water to exit the condenser, while the second pipe brings in cold water to cool the vapor, returning it to liquid form.
The resulting aromatic liquid is then released into the separator chamber. Because oil and water do not mix, the distilled pine floats on top of the water where it is siphoned into a separate container.
The Advantages of Steam Distillation for Pine Oil
Steam distillation is simple, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly, making it ideal for producing pine oil on an industrial scale.
Disadvantages of Steam Distillation for Pine Oil
Steam distillation requires careful temperature regulation. Some compounds, including pine, are very sensitive to heat and can be thermally degraded when exposed to high temperatures. Conversely, lower temperatures result in longer distillation times, increasing energy costs associated with maintaining steam pressure in the still.
The solvent extraction method produces a hyper-concentrated substance called an absolute. Absolutes are used in aromatic products.
Raw pine material is cleaned, dried, and macerated to increase the surface area during extraction. It is then placed in a large container.
A solvent is then added to the container. Hexane is commonly used in traditional solvent extraction, though ethanol is used for organic preparations.
The resultant mixture containing plant material and solvent is heated to extract the pine oil.
The mixture is then separated to remove the thick pine oil concentrate from the remaining pine material.
Advantages of Solvent Extraction for Pine Oil
Solvent extraction uses less energy than steam distillation. It also requires a shorter production cycle while producing higher absolute yields.
Disadvantages of Solvent Extraction for Pine Oil
The powerful odor of hexane and other solvents makes the process less than ideal for aroma products. Pine absolute derived from this process is often used in solvents and cleaners. Additionally, manufacturers must take extreme caution in handling and storing hexane, which is flammable and potentially dangerous to human health.
Microwave-Assisted Extraction (MAE)
Also known as microwave-assisted solvent extraction, MAE is a newer technique with tremendous upside. MAE often improves yields and quality compared to traditional solvent extraction. Here’s how it works:
Pine material is cleaned, dried, and macerated to increase its surface area before being placed in a container.
Next, a microwave energy-absorbable solvent (often ethanol, methanol, or water) is added to the mixture.
The container is exposed to microwaves, causing a rapid increase in temperature. The heat improves the degree of dissolution, increasing yields.
The warm solvent extracts the oil compounds from the pine material.
The mixture is separated, and the solvent is removed, usually through evaporation. The concentrated pine oil is left behind.
Advantages of Microwave-Assisted Extraction
MAE is efficient, quick, and uses safer solvents than traditional solvent extraction. It also produces a higher yield, especially for pine terpenes. Finally, it uses less energy than other methods, lowering the extraction process’s carbon footprint. The equipment used for MAE is more expensive, but most manufacturers realized relatively short return on investment timelines.
What Is Pine Oil Used For?
These processes, and others, are vital for meeting the world’s growing demand for pine oil. Various formulations are used in diverse applications, including:
Air fresheners
Aromatherapy
Household cleaning products
Industrial cleaning products
Insect repellent
Skincare
Pharmaceuticals
One of the benefits of pine oil in today’s market is its sustainability. Manufacturers prize pine oil as a bio-based alternative to traditional products. Increased demand has ramped up pine oil market forecasts through the next decade. The global market size is forecast to hold a 4.1% CAGR through 2030, reaching over $356 million.
Get Ahead of the Curve with Bio-Based Products from Florachem
We’re committed to helping manufacturers across industries source sustainable pine oils that meet their needs. Our team has over thirty years of experience crafting quality pine oil products for use across verticals, all backed by experienced engineers. Learn more about our pine products by contacting a representative today.
Brandy Geiger’s citrus industry experience has made her an invaluable part of our organization for years. That experience and her people-first and solutions-based approach have helped Florachem to record growth, and we’re pleased to announce her promotion to Vice President, Technical.
A Decades-Long Fascination with Citrus
Brandy is a 23-year veteran of the citrus industry who has repeatedly demonstrated the creativity and technical acumen required to serve our customers, especially in the flavor and fragrance vertical, where citrus ingredients are used in ways that are both art and science, posing challenges in communication as much as chemistry.
Brandy recalls one scenario where a client was looking to create a line of bio-based air fresheners using Florachem’s citrus terpenes. After evaluating several rounds of lavender-scented samples, it was clear that the client was looking for something else entirely. “I asked them to describe lavender, which they did. They were actually describing something more along the lines of gardenia or roses,” she remembers.
The story exemplifies the challenges involved in developing new products. It’s a process Brandy has helped our team to better understand and manage; improving our results and helping us form stronger relationships with our customers.
A Shifting Industry: Risks and Opportunities
One of Brandy’s key contributions at Florachem is the recognition that what may have worked in years past is not always practical going forward. Today, citrus growers, processors, and manufacturers face new realities, from volatile pricing and evolving regulations to climate challenges. Of course, we also face uncertainty at the very core of our product. “Mother Nature refuses to make things in a standard way,” Brandy notes – and it’s a reminder that adaptability remains the heart of any agricultural-based effort, including ours.
Keep Growing with Florachem
Team members like Brandy are the driving force behind what we do and allow us to provide the trusted expertise and customer support that makes Florachem a valued resource for our customers. The Florachem team is excited for Brandy’s leadership and experience to shape our organization for years to come.
See what industry leadership and homegrown expertise can do for your organization. Connect with Florachem or call 904-567-8080 today to get started.
