The world's first seedless lemon will go on sale in the UK in February for a six-month season, specialist South African grower Citrogold has announced.

Eureka! Seedless lemons, which the grower claims are 100% seed-free, will appear in Sainsbury's and Marks & Spencer. They are also being targeted at the caterers.

The lemons have been developed as part of the Africa Agricultural Research Council of South Africa's mutation breeding programme, and are being grown by accredited and licensed citrus growers in the Limpopo Valley of the Eastern Cape.

Citrogold claims its fruit offer a higher juice content than other lemons, while retaining the normal oval shape and bright yellow peel, with between eight and 10 segments.

The fruit is grown organically, although certification has not been secured.

Previous efforts to launch a similar product have failed because it was impossible to guarantee they were seed-free.