CAER, SARA and the Citrus Processor

This paper is going to cover what led up to, what we were doing, what some of the government rules and regulations are, and some suggestions if CAER and SARA are all new to you. Paper published with permission.

The Volatile Flavors of Orange Juice

I want to thank the Florida Section of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for the opportunity of talking with you about my favorite subject: “Orange Juice”. I’m a bit like the fellow from Texas who was visiting in Oklahoma. The town’s “ner-do-well” had passed away and at the local church, the minister was trying to say something nice about the departed. He soon ran out of words so he asked if someone in the audience cared to say a few words about the deceased. After a few moments of silence, the Texan got up and said that if nobody wanted to talk about the deceased, then he would like to take a few minutes to talk about Texas. That is how I feel about orange juice. Paper published with permission.

The Schmidt SigmaStar™ Evaporator: An Improved Evaporator Type for the Fruit Juice Industry

Figure 1. Over the years, Schmidt has paid special attention to improvements in processes for concentration and aroma recovery of fruit and vegetable juices. Our new technology was introduced in a symposium on the 26th of January 1983 in Bretten, West Germany, namely: - the new SigmaStar™ evaporator (for which we received a US patent in 1986) - new techniques for aroma recovery - new energy saving methods for multi-effect evaporation in combination with aroma recovery. We will describe and explain the new SigmaStar™ evaporator, the new aroma recovery plant as well as the integrated plant. Thereafter we will report our experiences, the quality of the final products, both aroma and concentrate, and improvements that have been developed over the years. Paper published with permission.

Industrial Refrigeration Design Safety

Industrial refrigeration has been in use since the late 1800’s. It has many uses and applications in both chemical processing and food preservation. The mechanical compression cycle still remains as the most expedient way of changing temperatures through the “carnot” process of transferring heat from one place (heat sink) to another. Paper published with permission.

Overview of Toxic Contaminants in Ground Water Origin, Transport, and Treatment

Introduction: Most of you are primarily interested in ground water, by that I mean well water. I don’t believe anyone here uses a surface water source for either product water or in plant drinking water or so you think. I have had some surprises from Florida ground water acting like surface water. When hunting for reasons it was explained that water perculating through your soil acts almost like a huge lake or river with varying levels of naturally occuring contaminants and man made pollutants present depending on location and magnitude of source. I have had trouble with this since during the depression when my family lived on a grove in Lake County. Our well was driven into the limestone aquifer and my father was firmly convinced this was the best water in the entire State of Florida. In retrospect, I can never recall tasting better water, however it was hard as a rock and during the “monsoons” that occasionally came our way the well water took on a brown color just like the lake and cat-tail swamp across the road. Wells driven into the limestone aquifer, even in the artisian region below impermiable cap rock may be subject to significant surface intrusion. Paper published with permission.

Environmental Permitting and Development of Citrus Groves in Southwest Florida

Since the introduction of sweet oranges to Florida with the establishment of the settlement at St. Augustine in 1565, the citrus industry has been steadily moving south. Prior to the “big freeze”, of 1894–95, the main citrus growing region was the hammocks of north-central Florida. The major citrus producing counties in the 1890’s were Orange, Alachua, Volusia, Lake, Putnam, Hillsborough, Pasco, Brevard and Polk, in that order. In 1889–90, Alachua county accounted for about one-third of the total citrus production. The freezes of the 1890’s caused the citrus belt to move south a hundred miles or so. By 1955, the leading counties were Polk, Lake, Orange, Hillsborough, Indian River, Highlands, Brevard and Volusia. Due to the strong influx of new residents in the 1950’s, the best drained areas along the coasts and central portion of the state were being converted to residential sub-divisions. Citrus growers were forced into less desirable locations. An attempt was made to expand citrus plantings along the upper west coast, but the winters of 1957–58 and 1962–63, with their severe freezes, again forced the industry south. The latest freezes of 1977 and the mid-1980’s have had a profound effect on the industry. In 1986–87 the major citrus producing counties were Polk, St. Lucie, Indian River, Highlands and Hendry. Lake County produced 40 million boxes of fruit in 1975–76 and less than 2 million in 1986–87. The most recent freezes have renewed interest in the undeveloped pastureland of southwestern Florida. As of January, 1988, 300 square miles of citrus have been permitted in Hendry, Glades, Collier and Lee Counties. Applications for another 100 square miles are pending. Paper published with permission.