Marmalade for looking at rather

Marmalade for looking at rather than eating. Was helping someone with a wholefruit #sweetorangemarmalade recipe, and I thought I’d make some using #Valenciaoranges known as #MarocLate, a late cropping variety that’s better known as a juicing orange, with a sweet natural flavour and a beautiful aroma, and almost no bitterness. The set was too firm, will have to work on that, but the colour and flavour brightness was spot-on.

But…while the peels were simmering the other day I happened to look at the label, and specifically at the warning label you now find on them with the specification of the fungicides & pesticides used on the peel. And in tiny writing under the listing was the phrase: Paring unfit for consumption. Which in layman’s terms means: Don’t eat the peel. Or in alarmist’s terms: DON’T EAT THE PEEL.

So what might the warning be about? To start, this isn’t about whether the fruit is waxed or not, as that’s a separate process, so buying unwaxed or washing the peel wont especially help here. And the wax is the least of your worries (unless you’re #vegetarian or #vegan, that is). The wax #e904 is #shellac, derived from a resin exuded by the insect #Lacciferlacca, might be an irritant but otherwise harmless.

The fungicides used here: #Imazalil (also known as #Enilconazole or #Chloramizole) is an anti fungal agent and there has been concern over toxicity; #Pyrimethanil is is fungicide, no identifiable toxicity to humans; #Thiabendazole is a fungicide, there has been concern over toxicity.

The peel acts like both a sponge and a protector of the flesh inside, so there is no concern if you simply peel the fruit and eat it as the fungicides stay in the peel.

But if you intend to use table citrus fruit where these fungicides are used (it should be listed on the label) for anything where the peel will be concentrated either for marmalade, for #candiedorange, for zesting, for #boiledorangecake…what to do? Use organic, or otherwise I guide you to the label and…do not eat the peel.

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