Generality
"Mandarancio" is a generic term that identifies some hybrids of citrus fruits, obtained from the cross between orange and mandarin - both species belonging to the genus Citrus; the orange is also a cross.
The mandarin oranges are for the most part considered simple "varieties" and only some of them have acquired all the characteristics necessary to be classified as real species (essential, in this sense, is the generational conservation of physical and chemical characteristics). The tangerine, like all other citrus fruits, is native to Asia.
Worldwide, the term "mandarancio" is not uniquely interpreted; discrepancies between the classifications and linguistic distortions in the translation make the botanical distinction of this citrus fruit quite difficult, since Europe, America and Asia provide different data. citrus fruits, even if currently in the USA mandarin oranges belong to the group of mandarins.
The most common varieties of mandarins are: clementine (in Italy) e tangerine (in America), while the oldest tangerine is undoubtedly the unshiu or satsuma. According to statistics, the tangerine is the best-selling citrus after the orange itself; this is attributable to the relative organoleptic and gustatory characteristics which represent the result of the union between: the taste of the orange, the practicality of consumption of the mandarin (peel and wedges) and the average size between one and the other citrus fruit. The presence or absence of seeds in mandarin oranges is determined by a specific botanical selection, but it is however an extremely labile characteristic, therefore easy to alter; it is sufficient that the mandarin orange plants undergo cross-pollination with other trees of the genus Citrus to produce fruit with seeds. In this regard, in the USA many beekeepers have been the subject of citations and complaints from seedless mandarin orange growers, who - undergoing the pollination of bees in orchards - have totally lost this characteristic, devaluing the harvest.
Nutritional Properties
Tangerines are fruits belonging to the VII food group; they can be eaten fresh in season (whole or squeezed), taking advantage of the very high content of vitamin C (ascorbic acid), or preserved in the form of jam, dehydrated fruit and candied fruit (they would be considerably depleted). considerable quantities of water, potassium and viscous fiber, and there is no shortage of medium quantities of simple sugars (fructose). They are also rich in antioxidants and their consumption is considered (by the entire category of nutrition professionals) as one of the major (long-term) preventive actions of metabolic or neoplastic diseases.
However, it is important to specify that not all mandarin oranges are the same; on the basis of the specific crossing, they bring more or less calories, even if generally they are assimilated more to oranges than to mandarins. and "clementine"), oranges and mandarins.
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