Tang makes a comeback

Do we crave the past? I think subconsciously we do. And it seems that the next gen has genetic material that makes them crave something their parents loved.

Seeing a brand like Tang get a restart shows it.

Have a great weekend people!

Juice News 🧃

Iconic astronaut beverage makes energy drink comeback

Tang is making a return to U.S. shelves as a pre-workout sports supplement. The brand has partnered with An Supps — a division of Applied Nutrition PLC, UK — to launch Tang pre-workout and hydration products. The drinks are aimed at fitness enthusiasts looking for energy, hydration, and maybe even a hit of nostalgia before hitting the weights or the treadmill. Early product pages list caffeine, electrolytes, amino acids, and B vitamins as the main ingredients, all of which are standard in modern performance drinks.

GLP-1 drugs are rewriting America’s food preferences, says IFF

Data from GLP-1 households suggest increases in purchases of meat snacks, yogurt, and nutrition bars, with declines across most other categories, most notably in chips and savory snacks, sweet bakery, candy, chocolate and cookies, soft drinks, ice cream, and cheese.

Citrus News 🍊

Brazil: May ends without a definition for contracts

After Fundecitrus (Citrus Defense Fund) released the estimate in May – of a higher orange output than what was expected by agents, at 314.6 million 40.8-kg boxes, – the sector was waiting for a better definition of contracts between the industry and producers to deliver 2025/26 fruits. However, contracts are likely to be closed only from mid-June on. As the production may be concentrated in the second blossoming, the harvesting can be intensified only after July. Therefore, for now, the small volume of fruits that the industry has been receiving and/or may receive in the coming weeks refers to previous contracts or to fruits traded in the spot market. In this scenario, prices of the orange delivered at the industry registered slight changes in May.

Shifting Dynamics for Argentine Lemons in the U.S. Market - California Citrus Mutual

According to a recent update from Argentina’s Citrus Federation, Argentine lemons are beginning to arrive in the U.S. The report states that larger volumes are expected to enter the U.S. in June as import programs are activated. Growing conditions in Argentina this year have been favorable, with good weather and no heavy pre-shipment rains. In recent years, Argentina has made efforts to enhance fruit quality for the U.S. market. However, they have also been known to weaken prices by oversupplying the market.

Many factors contributing to a volatile lime market

Brazil also supplied more than normal," said Rob Cullum from Pacific Produce. "So inevitably, with volumes up and consumption down, prices suffer. Added to this, there are the ongoing shipping delays, which means that there is new fruit arriving at the same time as the delayed containers, which also puts pressure on the market.

Historically, did life really just give us lemons?

The modern lemons are not a wild species but, in fact, a hybrid. They are the result of a natural cross between the bitter orange and the citron. Possibly created through natural hybridisation centuries ago, with time, lemons have had human interventions. This hybridisation likely occurred in the region that today includes northeast India or northern Myanmar, though exact details remain uncertain.

Research Worth Reading 🔬

Economic and Environmental Assessment of Organic Lemon Cultivation: The Case of Southeastern Spain

Spain is the world’s leading producer of organic fresh lemons, with production concentrated in the southeast. Given the relevance of this region in lemon production and the role of organic agriculture in sustainable development, this study establishes the main organic lemon production models in Southeastern Spain (Fino and Verna) and evaluates them from the economic and environmental perspective using life cycle costing (LCC) and life cycle assessment (LCA).

HLB in Brazil: Focus on Psyllid Control - HLB Management Citrus Industry Magazine

Fundecitrus researcher Renato Bassanezi recently emphasized the importance of controlling the psyllid that spreads huanglongbing (HLB, also known as citrus greening) in Brazil. Bassanezi pointed out that with the increase of HLB-spreading psyllids recorded in 2023 and the lack of eradication of diseased trees, controlling the HLB-spreading insect becomes increasingly important.

Decoding citrus Huanglongbing resistance and AI‐driven innovation in bacterial pathogen control - Liu - Journal of Integrative Plant Biology - Wiley Online Library

Current control strategies primarily rely on emergent chemical pesticides or the desperate yet common strategy of tree elimination and diseased-branch excision, but these methods face challenges, including antibiotic resistance, limited phloem-delivery efficacy and fruit safety concerns. These limitations highlight the need for more sustainable solutions to enhance plant immunity.