This commodity profile was rendered from
knowledge.domain = commodity, key = lime(GDF v2.0, 3200 attributes, 28 sections).Renderer:
commodity_profile_rendererv1.0.0. Source row version:knowledge_forge_gdf_v2.0_export_2026-04-06.
Identity & Botany
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Canonical name | Lime |
| Scientific name | Citrus aurantiifolia |
| Family / Genus | Rutaceae / Citrus |
| Produce category | Citrus |
| Produce subcategory | Acid Citrus |
| FSMA 204 covered? | No |
| PLU — conventional | 4048 |
| PLU — organic | 94048 |
| AGROVOC URI | c_4328 |
Source: GDF v2.1.1 s01_identity. External: FAO AGROVOC.
Varieties
Estimated commercial varieties: 15.
| Variety | Market share | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Persian Lime (Tahiti) | 85% | Seedless, larger fruit (2-2.5 inches), thick green skin, very juicy, acidic flavor, no thorns on tree. Commercially dominant variety. Harvested green and remains green when ripe. |
| Key Lime (Mexican Lime) | 10% | Small fruit (1-1.5 inches), thin yellow-green skin when ripe, highly aromatic, more acidic than Persian, seedy, thorny trees. Traditional variety for Key lime pie. |
| Bearss Lime | 3% | Similar to Persian/Tahiti lime, seedless, larger fruit, very juicy, thornless variety. Popular in California production. Often considered synonymous with Persian. |
| Rangpur Lime | 1% | Actually a mandarin-lemon hybrid, acidic orange-colored fruit, used primarily as rootstock but fruit is commercially available in specialty markets. Cold hardy. |
| Kaffir Lime (Makrut Lime) | 0.5% | Bumpy, dark green peel, aromatic leaves highly valued in Southeast Asian cuisine, small fruit, bitter juice. Primarily grown for leaves rather than fruit. |
| Sweet Lime (Palestine Sweet Lime) | 0.3% | Low acidity, sweet flavor, pale yellow-green when ripe, less commercially significant in US but popular in Mediterranean and Indian markets. |
| Australian Finger Lime | 0.2% | Elongated cylindrical fruit, caviar-like juice vesicles, various colors (green, pink, red), gourmet/specialty market product. Native Australian species (Citrus australasica). |
Source: GDF v2.1.1 s04_varieties.variety_summaries.
Post-Harvest Handling
Temperature
- Chilling injury threshold: 45°F.
- Freezing point: 28.8°F. Hard limit.
- Handling urgency: 3 / 5.
Ethylene
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Production class | low |
| Production rate (20°C) | 0.2 µL/kg·h typical (0.1–0.4) |
| Sensitivity class | low |
| Sensitivity threshold | 10 ppm |
| Climacteric? | No |
Agent note: Can be stored with ethylene-producing commodities without significant quality loss. Non-climacteric citrus fruit.
Mixed-load compatibility
citrus
Operational flags
- Can be top-iced? No
- Light-sensitive? No
Source: GDF v2.1.1 s07_harvest_post_harvest.
Market Intelligence
Demand
Growing steadily at 3-4% annually driven by Latin American cuisine popularity, craft cocktails, and increased cooking at home
Elasticity
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Price elasticity | -0.65 |
| Income elasticity | 0.42 |
| Organic premium elasticity | -0.38 |
Market share by variety
| Variety | Share |
|---|---|
| Persian/Tahiti | 85% |
| Key/Mexican | 12% |
| Bearss | 2% |
| Other | 1% |
Pack sizes
- 10 lb carton
- 20 lb carton
- 40 lb carton (standard)
- 38 lb box
- 200 count
- 250 count
- 2 lb mesh bag (retail)
Source: GDF v2.1.1 s09_market_intelligence.
Rendered by commodity_profile_renderer v1.0.0 on 2026-05-15T22:30:00.000Z.