Honey Grapefruit
Honey grapefruit is a preserve style citrus beverage base made from shredded citrus peel and flesh cooked with sugar and honey into a thick spoonable marmalade that is diluted with hot or cold water to make a drink.
The fruit behind the name in East Asian trade is usually pomelo or yuzu rather than the pink grapefruit of Western markets, and the peel is as important as the flesh: it carries the essential oil and the bitter flavanones, chiefly naringin and neohesperidin, that give the product its characteristic edge against the sweetness. Honey supplies part of the sugar load and a floral top note, with sucrose or fructose syrup carrying the rest and doing most of the preserving work.
The finished base sits at 55 to 68 degrees Brix, which is high enough to hold it without refrigeration before opening, and at a pH near 3.0 to 3.5. It disperses rather than dissolves, since the shredded peel stays as visible suspended strips, and that visible peel is the point of the format. Prolonged boiling darkens the colour and dulls the citrus aroma, so the cook is kept short and the peel is added late.
We source bulk Honey Grapefruit from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Fujian. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
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- Function
- Beverage ingredient
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Golden viscous preserve with visible shredded peel |
| Flavour and Odour | Sweet citrus with characteristic peel bitterness and honey note |
| Brix at 20 degrees C | 55.0 to 68.0 |
| pH | 3.0 to 3.5 |
| Peel Content | 20 to 40 percent as declared |
| Honey Content | As declared on specification, minimum verified per lot |
| Titratable Acidity | 0.5 to 1.5 percent as citric acid |
| Water Activity | Not more than 0.85 |
| Lead | Not more than 0.1 mg per kg |
| Arsenic | Not more than 0.1 mg per kg |
| Total Plate Count | Not more than 1,000 cfu per g |
| Yeast and Mould | Not more than 50 cfu per g |
| E. coli | Absent in 10 g |
| Salmonella | Absent in 25 g |
Common Markets Grades
Grades are described by the citrus species used, by peel content and by the proportion of honey to added sugar. Pomelo based material is milder and less bitter, yuzu based material is more aromatic and commands a separate specification. Peel content is quoted as a percentage of the total and typically runs between 20 and 40 percent, with the strip width also specified because it determines how the product looks in a glass.
Honey declaration ranges from a nominal few percent to formulations where honey is the main sweetener, and this is the point buyers check most closely. Further options include a reduced sugar version stabilised with a preservative system or by chilled distribution, a de bittered grade made from peel that has been blanched to strip naringin, and organic certified lots.
Applications
- Hot citrus tea served by dissolving a spoonful in near boiling water, the traditional serve
- Iced citrus tea and tea shop beverages, blended with green, black or oolong tea bases
- Sparkling citrus drinks and fruit sodas, dosed as a syrup before carbonation
- Yoghurt and dairy dessert toppings where the shredded peel is visible
- Bakery fillings, tart glazes and cake toppings
- Cocktail and mocktail bases, standing in for a marmalade or citrus syrup
- Ice cream and frozen dessert ripples that need visible fruit inclusion
- Breakfast spreads and toast preserves in retail jars
- Sauces and glazes for roast meat and poultry in East Asian cooking
China Manufacturers of Honey Grapefruit
Top Honey Grapefruit manufacturers in China.
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
Regulatory Status
Honey grapefruit preparations are conventional foods composed of fruit, sugar and honey. In the United States the general provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act cover them, the preventive controls rule at 21 CFR 117 governs manufacture and, where the product is a shelf stable acidified food, the acidified foods requirements of 21 CFR 114 apply. Where the label uses the term preserve or marmalade, the standards of identity for fruit preserves in 21 CFR Part 150 apply.
In the European Union the product falls under Directive 2001/113/EC on fruit jams, jellies and marmalades where it is presented as a marmalade, which sets minimum fruit and soluble solids content, and under Council Directive 2001/110/EC for the honey component, which prohibits any addition to honey that alters its composition. General labelling follows Regulation 1169/2011, and any added acid, preservative or colour must be permitted under Regulation 1333/2008. Codex standard CXS 296-2009 covers jams, jellies and marmalades internationally and CXS 12-1981 covers honey.
Manufacturing Process
Whole citrus fruit is washed, brushed and surface sanitised, then the outer coloured peel is separated from the white pith, since pith carries most of the harsh bitterness and none of the aroma. The peel is shredded to a defined strip width and blanched in hot water one or more times to remove part of the bitter flavanone load, with the number of blanches setting the final bitterness.
The flesh is segmented, de seeded and broken down into pulp and juice. Sugar syrup is prepared and brought to the boil, then the pulp, juice and blanched peel are added and the mass is concentrated in an open or vacuum kettle to the target Brix. Vacuum cooking is used where colour and aroma retention matter, since it allows the water to be driven off at lower temperature. Honey is blended in at the end of the cook, after the heat is removed, so that its volatile character is not destroyed. Acidity is adjusted with citric acid, the hot mass is filled into jars or pails, sealed, inverted for closure sterilisation and then cooled rapidly.
