Production of Ruby Red Grapefruit

The United States of America is the number one producer of ruby red grapefruit in the world. With a production of over 1.58 billion tons of this subtropical citrus bitter fruit per year, it makes up over one fifth of the world's production of grapefruit. Within this category also falls a large percentage of that being of the ruby red variety. The United States of America is also the top producer of pomelo, a similar citrus fruit known as the Chinese grapefruit that has a pale green to yellowish skin when ripe and a white, pink or red flesh. One of the largest producers of ruby red grapefruit is the state of Florida's many private enterprises throughout the US pan-handle.

The ruby red grapefruit is by far today's most popular variety of grapefruit but there are many other varieties with pink hues and white flesh. The ruby red fruit is also said to carry more nutrition and antioxidant power due to its rich color. Therefore, ruby red grapefruit and the juice it produces has become a very popular household item. Also, it is very common that in bars; if ordering a drink with grapefruit juice, your drink will most likely come out with a pinkish tint created by the red grapefruit juice.

Originally, the fruit was brought from Barbados to Florida's Safety Harbor in 1823 by Countess Odette Philippe as a decorative tree. The fruit was originally known as the shaddock before being renamed for its clustering nature as the grapefruit. The fruit was then cross bread to create the tangelo, minneola and sweetie along with the famous ruby red grapefruit variety. The ruby red grapefruit was patented in 1929 and became a commercial success. Later the Florida Department of Citrus became a large monitor of the product to ensure quality control for the global market and to ensure that diseases common to citrus fruits are not spread to this beautiful tree that totes amazing four petaled flowers as well. This is why, chances are, when you pick up a ruby red grapefruit, it will come from Florida. By the 1950s, ruby red grapefruit was seventy five percent of Florida's grapefruit production. This was a huge benefit for Florida as the 'Red Grapefruit Diet' became an international trend in the 1970s and is still commonly known about and used today to help jumpstart weight loss programs by reducing water retention and combating hunger.

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