The plant, native to China, was introduced into Europe after the orange. The tree is cultivated throughout the
Mediterranean, where the tangerine variety also grows. Tangerine and mandarin are botanically identical, both being C. reticulata
Blanco. The mandarin fruit is ellipsoidic, while the tangerine fruit common to the United States is more nearly like the original fruit
from China; tangerine is more orange in color than mandarin. In Italy, mandarin is cultivated together with other citrus fruits in
Sicily and Calabria on an industrial scale. The parts used are the leaves, small twigs, unripe fruits, fruits and the rind. Mandarin has
a pleasant, orange-like odor and a sweet–sour taste.
Composition
Three limonoids, namely, limonin, nomilin and obacunone, were isolated from the seeds of C. reticulata (Blanco).*
Aroma threshold values: Aroma characteristics at 10.0%: fresh, juicy, citrus orange tangerinelike with sweet aldehydic notes.
Taste threshold values
Taste characteristics at 15 ppm in 5.0% sugar and 0.10% CA: fresh, juicy tangerine orangelike.
