Is blood orange zest different from orange zest when the fruit has not reddened?

Question

I've been buying blood oranges by the kilo net, and there are always some fruits without red peel and flesh. I do feel those smell less different from ordinary oranges than the reddened specimens do, but am finding it hard to be sure I'm not imagining it.

Answer 1

Blood oranges and navel oranges are indeed different, regardless of their color. Their aroma and flavor (zest or fruit) is certainly noticeable to me, though I suspect there is variance depending on variety of blood orange (Morro is commonly grown in Florida, USA, but there are several varieties). I think the aroma variance has less to do with color (though ripeness may impact this), than variety. Whether or not that matters all that much in a culinary application is up to you to decide.

Answer 2

There's always some variation in the blood orange skin pigmentation.

it's just more visible on blood oranges compared to "normal" oranges.