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Orange or tangerine – which is better, the choice is not easy. Some base it on their own taste preferences, others pay more attention to the composition and properties of the fruit. Citruses contain the same vitamins, but in different amounts. There are differences in taste and aroma.
General characteristics of orange and tangerine
These plants are evergreen fruit trees and belong to the genus Citrus from the Rut family. Fruits ripen for at least six months – mandarin up to nine months, orange up to 12-14. These species are widely distributed along the Mediterranean coast.
Fruits have many similarities:
- fruits are multi-seeded and multi-nested;
- two-layer peel;
- the pulp contains many juice sacs;
- ease of division into slices – fruit nests (up to 12 pieces);
- the lobules are covered with a film-shell, inside 1-2 seeds, located one above the other.
What is more useful oranges or tangerines
Determining which fruit is healthier, you need to analyze its nutritional value and chemical composition. Each option has winning positions.
It is believed that tangerines are better for the heart and liver. They are more useful in diseases of the respiratory system. For diabetics, it is better to choose oranges – they have less sugar.
The difference lies in the degree of allergenicity. Tangerines are better in this regard, since the risk of such a reaction to them is lower.
Where are more vitamins
Both fruits are rich in ascorbic acid. The difference in the amount of vitamin C in tangerines and oranges is 42 and 67%, respectively. There are differences in other elements as well:
Vitamin | Content in orange, % | Content in mandarin,% |
A (beta-carotene) | 0,9 (1) | 1,1 (1,2) |
E | 1,3 | 1,3 |
Thiamine (B1) | 2,7 | 4 |
Riboflavin (B2) | 1,7 | 1,7 |
Nicotinic acid (B3, PP) | 1,5 | 1,5 |
Choline (B4) | 1,7 | 2 |
Pantothenic Acid (B5) | 5 | 4,3 |
Pyridoxine (B6) | 3 | 3,5 |
Biotin (B7, H) | 2 | 1,6 |
Folic acid (B9) | 1,3 | 4 |
Most of the vitamins in these citrus fruits are in roughly equal amounts. Obviously, the tangerine loses to its relative only in the content of ascorbic acid, but there are three times more folic acid in it.
What is more caloric
Another difference between tangerines and oranges is nutritional value. The first fruit has 38 kcal per 100 g, and the second has 43 kcal. If you use these citrus fruits in small quantities, the difference is almost imperceptible.
Both citrus fruits have almost the same content of proteins, fats and water.
What is the difference between mandarin orange
Both citrus fruits have a lot of differences. The difference lies in the appearance, taste and aroma. The history of origin and names also differs.
History of origin
The birthplace of the tangerine tree is considered to be southern China and Cochin China (southeast Indochina). The exact date of appearance of the species is unknown. According to one version, it became known about a millennium ago, according to another, many centuries before our era.
The history of the origin of the name of the tangerine tree is also ambiguous. The s borrowed this word from Spanish, and in it it appeared from the Portuguese “mandarim” denoting a Chinese official. There are two versions of the origin of the name:
- orange skin color – ministers in China wore clothes of this shade;
- Citrus cultivation was carried out by Chinese officials.
Mandarin was brought to Europe only at the beginning of the XNUMXth century. There is a version that trees of this species were brought as a gift to Napoleon.
China is the leader in the production of tangerines – in 2016, it accounted for more than half of these citrus fruits
Orange has been grown in China since 2500 BC. The name of the fruit and fruit tree comes from the Dutch word “apfelsine”.
Oranges were brought to Europe by Portuguese sailors. They quickly became popular. Such fruits began to be grown in greenhouses – the name of such structures comes from the word “orange”.
Today, both citrus relatives are massively distributed throughout the Mediterranean coast. Oranges are also grown in Central America. Their counterparts are cultivated in Asia, Florida (USA), Argentina and Brazil. On the territory of the former USSR, they are grown in Abkhazia and Sochi.
Description of fruits
Tangerines are smaller in size – 4-6 cm. They usually weigh no more than 150 g. The shape of the fruit is spherical, often they are flattened from the poles. Some varieties do not have seeds.
Oranges are often larger than tangerines. Their shape is round. The diameter of the average fruit is 6-8 cm, and the weight is 170-210 g.
Citrus fruits have a two-layered peel, but oranges have a thicker, yellow-orange skin. Their counterparts are orange or orange-yellow.
One of the differences between oranges is navel varieties. They are named so because of the anomaly of the hesperidium (berry-like fruit). Carpels are formed in two rows, therefore two fruits develop – one is rudimentary and is located at the top of its large counterpart. Such a small appendage can be seen through a small hole in the orange peel, which is called the navel.
Another difference in fruits is productivity. An orange tree brings up to 38 thousand citrus fruits, and a tangerine tree brings 5-7 times less.
Some tangerine varieties have an air gap between the pulp and the peel – this makes peeling even easier.
Palatability
You can distinguish tangerines from oranges not only in appearance, but also in taste. The first variety of citrus fruits is distinguished by its sweet pulp, since it contains more sugar (11 g on average). Another difference is the pronounced aroma. It is he, coupled with the ripening for winter, that evokes strong associations with the New Year holidays.
Orange fruits taste more sour, which is due to the high content of ascorbic acid and less sugar (average 9 g). They don’t smell as strong. Better tastier, juicier and larger varieties with thin skins:
- Messinian;
- Malaga;
- Sicilian;
- Genoese;
- maltese.
Which is better to choose
It is impossible to say categorically which citrus is better. It all depends on the selection criteria. If in the first place the content of vitamin C to strengthen the immune system, then you definitely need to take orange fruits. When the choice is based on taste, then you should focus on your own preferences. Some like the more pronounced sweetness of tangerines, others seem better than their more sour counterparts.
Differences in nutritional value for both representatives of citrus fruits are small, therefore it is better to base the choice on taste or quantitative content of vitamins. It is optimal to include both fruits in the diet – each has a whole range of useful properties and qualities that are better for a particular species.
Conclusion
It is not necessary to choose orange or tangerine, it is useful to include both citrus fruits in the diet. They belong to the same genus and family, have many similarities in the form and structure of the fetus. Both fruits differ in the quantitative content of vitamins and other valuable elements, taste, and aroma.