Grapefruit is a colorful fruit that includes red, pink, yellow, and white varieties. Grapefruit colors are usually associated with the citrus flesh rather than the rind color when discussing varieties. A thick skin of orange or yellow hues surrounds the succulent grapefruit segmented flesh. The dark green skin of certain grapefruit varieties protects juicy sweet white flesh.
Grapefruit come in a variety of shapes and sizes, yet they all have the same flavor. Grapefruit has a sour, bitter flavor, with some varieties being somewhat sweeter. A sweet orange and pomelo hybrid fruit called grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) was developed through crossing.
A succulent spherical citrus fruit with a diameter of 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) is the consequence of this merger. The acidic flesh might be bitter to semi-sweet, depending on the variety. The manner in which the grapefruit trees grow appears to be the source of their name. They develop in bunches, much like grapes do.
You can learn about a variety of grapefruit types, as well as the pomelo, in this article. Now let’s take a closer look at the grapefruit colors. It’s possible to estimate the bitterness of a grapefruit pulp variety by knowing its hue. Pink and red grapefruits are more sweet than yellow or white grapefruit varieties.
Pink Grapefruit
Pink-colored grapefruit are the most popular grapefruits for most people. When it comes to flavor, pink grapefruits have a perfect combination of sweet and tart. Pink tangy fruit has a juicier, less acidic flavor than yellow or white grapefruit. Pink grapefruits are often the best morning option for dieters.
The nourishing meat offers a variety of fiber, vitamin C, and other nutrients. Beta-carotene and lycopene, both powerful antioxidants, are responsible for the pink hue in food. One of the most nutrient-rich fruit juices available, according to some sources, is pink grapefruit juice.
Red Grapefruit
Pick one of the red colored varieties if you want to eat the sweetest type of grapefruit. The sweeter the grapefruit will be, the deeper the pulp’s redness. Red grapefruit has a lot of health benefits as well. According to some research, a red grapefruit contains all of your daily vitamin C needs.
Red grapefruits are a rich source of lycopene and beta-carotene, just like their pink counterparts. Some cardiovascular benefits have been linked to the consumption of red grapefruit varieties.
Yellow or White Colored Grapefruit
The cream-yellow peels and yellow-whitish colored pulp of white or yellow grapefruit cultivars are creamy. These are generally the least sweet and most sour of all the grapefruit types. Yet, many people seek for this equilibrium of sweet and bitter in a lovely grapefruit. 3″ to 5″ (8 – 13 cm) in diameter, white grapefruits come in a range of sizes. All varieties of white grapefruit are rich in vitamin C, potassium, and other nutrients, making it a citrus fruit.
Types of Grapefruit (With Pictures and Names)
It’s simple to see why you should sample several grapefruit types when you consider all of the gorgeous species available.
Duncan Grapefruit
Duncan grapefruits have a yellow-white juicy flesh with a lot of seeds, and their peel is light yellow. This grapefruit variant has a lot of seeds and is primarily grown for juicing purposes. When these citrus fruits are completely mature, they resemble grapes and are known as grapefruit.
The large spherical or ovate fruits range in diameter from 4 to 5 inches (10 to 13 cm). Duncan grapefruit is sweet and succulent, with a strong aroma when compared to other grapefruit cultivars. In California, Florida, Arizona, and Texas, Duncan grapefruit is the most commonly grown variety of grapefruit. Duncan grapefruits are also grown in other grapefruit-growing nations such as India.
Foster Grapefruit
The Foster grapefruit is a Florida grapefruit cultivar with a bright yellow exterior and pink blush. This is a yellow-peeled variety with pink blushing from Florida. Duncan grapefruits are comparable to Foster grapefruit in terms of size. The succulent pink pulp is in about 13 or 14 sections when you cut through the smooth grapefruit skin. This pink grapefruit variety is not popular because of the quantity of seeds in the fruit.
Star Ruby Grapefruit
The sweet-sour flavor of the Star Ruby grapefruit is very popular. The bright yellow skin of a Star Ruby grapefruit covers thick red flesh inside. The delicious sweet-sour flavor and lack of seeds are the reasons behind why the Star Ruby grapefruit is so popular. The Foster grapefruit tree was used to create the Star Ruby grapefruit.
Ruby Red grapefruit and the Ruby Red grapefruit are related. Compared to both of these types, the Star Ruby’s pulp is darker and more juicy. This is the reddest grapefruit you can buy, in fact.
The Star Ruby variety delivers three times more juice than the Ruby Red varieties, which makes it a favorite of mine. Seeds are also uncommon in the flesh. A rather huge variety of pink grapefruit exists. The grapefruit tree has huge green glossy leaves and grows to a height of 15 to 20 feet (4.5 to 6 meters).
The grapefruit can grow to be up to 6″ (15 cm) in diameter due to its thick rind. The Star Ruby pulp is a sweet variant of grapefruit with a vivid red color. The flavor of the grapefruit is also slightly bitter, as is characteristic with all grapefruits.
Ruby Red Grapefruit
The Ruby Red is a cultivar of pink grapefruit that has aided to create several new grapefruit cultivars. It is one of the most popular varieties. The Ruby Red is one of the most popular pink grapefruits in the world because to its ease of cultivation and superior flavor.
The orange skin of this medium-sized grapefruit has crimson tinting. The sweetness and slight tartness in the sweet pink meat are balanced. This distinguishes Ruby Red grapefruit from other grapefruit cultivars in terms of flavor. Ruby Red has been used to create a variety of newer cultivars because it is one of the greatest pink grapefruits. The Rio Star, Rio Red, and Ruby-Sweet are only a few of them.
Flame Grapefruit
The Flame grapefruit is a seedless pink or red grapefruit cultivar. Flame grapefruits have a deeper pink-red color than Ruby Reds or Foster types, despite not being as vividly red as the Star Ruby. The yellow skin of flame grapefruit has pink undertones. Aromatic essential oils are packed into the medium-thick rind.
The fruit of flame grapefruit trees are about 5″ to 6″ (13 to 15 cm) in diameter, similar to the size of Star Ruby grapefruit. In colder climates, these citrus fruit trees produce better grapefruits than some other types. They are also cold hardy. While the grapefruits on the trees mature well, they may lose some of their vibrant red color if they are left to develop for too long. The fruit has excellent flavor and no seeds in the pulp, and it is a variety of juicy pink grapefruit.
Lavender Gem Grapefruit
Grapefruit (Lavender Gem) is a rare citrus fruit variety. A tangelo and a grapefruit are crossed to create the fruit. A tangelo is a grapefruit-tangerine hybrid. The Lavender Gem is a tangelo, not a real grapefruit variety, botanically speaking.
Lavender Gem grapefruit has orange skin on the outside and looks like a miniature grapefruit. The flesh of this kind of fruit is pale pink and very succulent. The flesh contains a medium quantity of seeds. So, how does it taste like an unusual grapefruit? This is a sweet-tasting tangerine that has the tang of grapefruit, according to many people.
White Marsh Grapefruit
The White Marsh seedless grapefruit is a popular Florida variety with yellow skin and pale yellow flesh. In California, South America, South Africa, and India, this grapefruit cultivar is one of the most commonly cultivated grapefruit varieties. The skin of the Marsh Seedless grapefruit is light yellow, and the flesh is also yellow-white.
This is a very popular grapefruit variety because of its strong flavor and sweet/tart pulp. Grapefruit trees ripen their fruit well and store it for a long time after harvest. Grapefruit trees are not cold hardy and need a lot of sunlight to thrive.
The Pink Marsh is a pink cultivar of this grapefruit variety. The skin is yellow, and the flesh is blushing pink. This pink grapefruit lacks the intensity of the White Marsh type. Thompson Grapefruit is another name for the Pink Marsh. The Marsh Ruby is another pink color of the Marsh grapefruit.
The thick skin of this grapefruit variety protects succulent sweet grapefruit sections and is tough. The Marsh Ruby grapefruit has a delicate sweet flavor and is low in acidity, as with most Marsh varieties.
Red Blush Grapefruit
Red Blush grapefruit is a pink-red grapefruit variety from Texas that is seedless and has a sweet flavor. This reddish-pink flesh is particularly pale in comparison to other red grapefruit varieties. This grapefruit has a sweet flavor and is seedless. The redness of the Red Blush variety fades as it ripens on the tree, which is one of its characteristics.
Grapefruit usually becomes yellow by springtime after mid-season. Ruby Red and the Red Blush variety are practically identical. Ruby Red maintains its pinkish-red color until the harvest season, when it is harvested.
Oro Blanco Grapefruit
The Oro Blanco grapefruit is a delicious, juicy yellow-white colored fruit that many people adore. The rich yellow rind protects a delightfully sweet, bitterness-free, and acidic pulp. This is a medium to large-sized grapefruit, growing to 3.5″ to 5″ (9 – 13 cm) in length. The Oro Blanco has a thicker peel and lighter flesh when compared to the White Marsh. A pomelo and a white grapefruit were mixed together to create the hybrid. As a consequence, the fruit is seedless and has an exceptional flavor.
Oro Blanco is a perfect description because the name literally means “white gold” in Spanish. This grapefruit cultivar is very delicate and juicy, in addition to its high sweetness. Furthermore, it is a seedless grapefruit, and there is no nasty aftertaste when you remove the segments.
Oro Blancos’ green peels do not make them bitter or inedible, which is one of their distinguishing characteristics. The peel will brighten yellow as the fruit develops on the tree, with occasional green remnants. Also, like with an orange, you may peel and consume this kind of fruit. Oro Blanco grapefruit look a lot like Israeli grapefruit cultivar “Sweeties.”
Honey Gold (Melogold) Grapefruit
Melogold grapefruit, sometimes known as Honey Gold grapefruit, is a white-yellow grapefruit similar to Oro Blanco. It is a sweet seedless variety. A pomelo and grapefruit hybrid, these large grapefruit varieties originated in California. Melogolds are grapefruit and pomelo-flavored big seedless citrus fruits.
A grapefruit may grow to be up to 6 inches (15 cm) in diameter and weigh 1.5 pounds (700 g) each, with a thick yellowish green skin. This explains why Melogold grapefruit is a little bigger than Oro Blancos.
Melogolds are simple to peel and the segments separate readily, much like Oro Blancos. They have a sweet flavor with no bitterness, little acidity, and no seeds. Others describe them as having an orange flavor with a hint of grapefruit.
Pomelo
Pomelos (Citrus maxima) are a big citrus fruit that looks like a gigantic pear-shaped grapefruit. They come in several colors and varieties. The pomelo (also known as pummelo or Chinese grapefruit) is the progenitor of many citrus fruits, including the grapefruit. Southeast Asia is the birthplace of these authentic citrus fruits.
A pomelo fruit may vary in diameter from 6 inches to 10 inches (15 cm). A 4.4-pound (2-kilogram) pomelo has been documented. A thick spongy peel protects the non-acidic white segmented pulp. As a result, pomelos are significantly bigger and heavier than grapefruits.
The color of the flesh in comparison to sweetness is one of the distinctions between pomelo and grapefruits. The white-flesh pomelo is the most common kind, and it’s wonderfully sweet without any bitterness. Pomelos, which have pink flesh and are seldom eaten, are sourer. Pomelo comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, some of which are listed below:
- Malaysian pomelo The large, light-green citrus fruit is a traditional variety. Fibrous membranes cover the big pieces, which can be moist to quite watery in texture.
- Mato Buntan grapefruit hybrids are made using this pomelo variety. These massive fruits have a yellow-green flesh that is sweet and slightly acidic, and are about the same size as Malaysian pomelos.
- Reinking pomelos The yellow fruits are pear-shaped and have yellow juicy flesh. This pomelo has a grainy feel and a lot of seeds, which distinguishes it from the other types.
- Valentine pomelos They were designed in California and resemble a pear in form. The rosy red fleshy segments are very sweet, and the bright lemon-colored skin covers them. Since it is mature and ready to consume in February, this variety of pomelo is known as the “Valentine.”
Grapefruit and Interaction with Medicines
Although grapefruits are fiber-rich fruits with few health risks, chemicals in them may interfere with drugs. Grapefruit intake, according to physicians, may alter how medicines are absorbed in the intestines if it is consumed often. This might cause your blood to have higher than normal concentrations of the medicine.
Blood pressure medications, sedatives, antihistamines, calcium channel blockers, and statins may all be affected by grapefruit. As a result, you should discuss with your doctor whether any of the drugs you take might be changed.