Oranges are widely grown in warm climates worldwide, and the flavours of orange vary from sweet to sour . The fruit is commonly peeled and eaten fresh, or squeezed for its juice. It has a thick bitter rind that is usually discarded, but can be processed into animal feed by removing water using pressure and heat . It is also used in certain recipes as flavouring or a garnish . The outer-most layer of the rind is grated or thinly veneered with a tool called a zester, to produce orange zest , popular in cooking because it has a flavour similar to the fleshy inner part of the orange. The white part of the rind, called the pericarp or albedo and includes the pith , is a source of pectin and has nearly the same amount of vitamin C as the flesh.

Valencia is mainly grown for processing into fresh juice or frozen concentrate. Brazil and Florida are the two main producers of frozen concentrate orange juice in the world. Navels are grown mainly for fresh consumption and some Valencia are also used as fresh fruits. Other varieties such the blood oranges and the acidless oranges are also used for fresh eating.