As Manjul Dutt, assistant professor of horticultural sciences with a focus on citrus and subtropical fruit breeding and genetics at University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, has focused on unlocking citrus breeding stock that is tolerant of resistant to the citrus green disease huanglongbing, he’s also unlocked a new potential opportunity for Florida growers.
Australian finger limes are naturally HLB-tolerant. As a post-doctoral researcher, Dutt says he crossed finger lime genetics with conventional citrus to look for the next generation of sweet orange and grapefruit cultivars resistant or tolerant to the citrus greening bacteria. And as he evaluated some of the germplasm, a citrus grower told him that there was an economic potential for new finger lime varieties.
“There is a huge need in the specialty citrus industry for finger limes,” Dutt says, noting that the grower told him, “‘I just came back from California, and I paid a lot of money to buy a dish that had the finger lime pearls in it.’ He’s like, ‘high-end restaurants, chefs, bartenders, mixologists — they all would really want the finger lime.’”
Lijun “Angelia” Chen, assistant professor in the UF Food and Resource Economics Department, says part of the appeal of finger limes is the “tiny, caviar-like pearls that pop in your mouth with a fresh citrus burst.”
Dutt says he decided to expand the breeding program to look at the economic potential of the finger lime crosses, while remaining focused on providing growers with HLB-tolerant sweet orange, grapefruit and citrus rootstock.
He conducted an informal survey on the color profile of finger limes, which range from pale to pink to deep red.
“Nine out of 10 people wanted red, so we decided to release the red ones,” Dutt says.
This specialty program has released two varieties. UF SunLime is a hybrid finger lime that produces large, cylindrical fruit. Fruits range from 2.7 inches to 3.1 inches and offer a rich red color when mature. The fruit weighs around 30.4 grams on average and has up to five seeds. UF RedLime produces narrow, longer fruit that range from 4.2 inches to 4.8 inches. Fruits weigh 28.8 grams and average four to 14 seeds.
SunLime is tolerant to HLB but susceptible to citrus scab, and RedLime is highly tolerant to HLB.
Dutt calls all this “serendipity,” as he knows that there’s even interest in growers outside of the state. Earlier this year, UF/IFAS held a finger lime field day and some Texas growers who attended saw the potential to bring UF SunLime and UF RedLime to the Dallas and Houston markets.
Unlocking the Potential
Dutt says he has worked with UF colleagues to look at the economics of consumer interest, as well as with Chen to look at the sensory attributes and with the horticulture department to look at postharvest.
Chen says her team seeks to address key barriers to a successful value chain for Florida finger limes.
“On the economic and marketing side, we’re exploring market potential from the perspectives of multiple stakeholders, including growers, extension professionals, consumers, chefs and mixologists, to support informed, sustainable growth,” she says.
While there’s interest from growers, thanks in part to HLB resistance, consumer awareness and knowledge about finger limes remains low, Chen says, though food enthusiasts, connoisseurs and adventurists have shown strong interest in the specialty citrus.
“Finger limes, positioned as a specialty/luxury product (due to novelty and high price points), have gained significant attention in high-end culinary and mixology scenes,” she says. “However, the supply chain still needs development, as growers want to know who to sell to and consumers want to know where they can buy them.”
But Chen sees potential as consumers seek out creative dining and craft cocktail experiences.
“Finger limes benefit from this trend because they’re unique, eye-catching and elevate presentation and flavor,” she says. “Plus, the rise of social media and influencer marketing makes it easier than ever to showcase eye-catching dishes and drinks featuring finger limes to a wider audience.
Chen says servers, chefs and mixologists, as well as social media influencers, can help promote the use of finger limes in food and drinks, noting this can help inform consumers on how to best incorporate finger limes into their households and shape initial demand.
“In-store sampling, trade show displays and farmers market appearances can all be promising venues for continued promotion and education,” she says.
But she tempers that potential with the caution that awareness for finger limes should grow slowly and steadily to ensure finger limes’ long-term potential in the industry.
“Continued research is critical to ensure sustainable growth of this specialty citrus and avoid potential boom-bust cycles,” Chen says. “Strategic market development backed by data will help finger lime producers build long-term viability in this emerging sector.”
