CITRUS RESIDUE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 April 1939, Page 3

CITRUS RESIDUE

USE AS CATTLE FODDER. PALATABLE AND DIGESTIBLE. Many people are nowadays conversant with the tonic, laxative and hence blood purifying properties of citrus fruits, especially those of the grapefruit family. During recent years an important section of the United States of America canning industry handling citrus fruits and juices has been striving to obtain an economic outlet for the residue for such fruit after the extraction of the juices.

Within the past five years chemical engineers and animal nutritionists have succeeded in developing methods of dehydrating these thousands of tons of citrus residue and during 1937-1938 about 40,000 tons of citrus pulp and meal were produced in Florida and Texas alone. It is claimed that the product is 78 to 82 per cent digestible, and that about 90 per cent of the carbohydrate content is digestibY?. The minerals present are mainly phosphorus, potash and lime, and constitute 4 to 6 per cent of the meal. Although the pulp and meal are employed in the United States for general animal feeding, their largest outlet is for dairy, cow feeding. The most notable attractions of citrus meal and pulp for dairy cows are said to be palatability, digestibility, energy value and laxative qualities..