Танжерин

Under the Tanaka classification system, Citrus tangerina is considered a separate species. Under the Swingle system, tangerines are considered a group of mandarin (C. reticulata) varieties. The term is also currently applied to any reddish-orange mandarin and, in some jurisdictions, to mandarin-like hybrids, including some tangors. Tangerines are smaller and less rounded than oranges. They taste less sour, sweeter and stronger than oranges do.

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Chemistry

In the peel oil of the Murcott tangerine, limonene is the main constituent, as in all citrus oils. Gas chromatography identified 88 components in the volatile range of Murcott tangerine peel oil. Gamma-terpinene, N-methyl-methylanthranilate and thymol, which are characteristic of many mandarin oils, did not occur in the Murcott variety. Six polymethoxylated flavones were identified in Murcott oil, and tangeretin is quantitatively the most significant of them.

Fruit and production

The peak tangerine season lasts from autumn to spring. Tangerines are most commonly peeled and eaten by hand. The peel is thin, with little bitter white mesocarp. The peel is used fresh or dried as a spice or zest for baking and drinks, and the Chinese spice chenpi is made from mandarin zest. In 2021, world production of tangerines, including mandarins and clementines, was 42 million tonnes, led by China with 60% of the total. Florida classifies tangerine-like hybrid fruits as tangerines for the purposes of sale and regulation. Murcotts, a late-fruiting type of tangor, are marketed as honey tangerine.