This is the best fruit for Spring Festival gatherings, I won’t let you not know!

Every year around the Spring Festival, sugar oranges are on the market in large quantities, and they become the top fruit. Every household buys them in baskets, and many people can't stop eating them, leaving piles of "orange peels".

Image source: Weibo screenshot

Indeed, during the Spring Festival, when friends and family gather together, the most suitable fruit to show off at this time is none other than tangerines.

Why is it the best fruit for a party?

Is it a sugar orange?

Sugar oranges were first planted in Sihui City, Guangdong Province. They were introduced to Guangxi from Sihui City, Guangdong Province in the early 1980s. Guangxi has now become the largest province for planting sugar oranges in my country. Sugar oranges are called sugar oranges because they taste as sweet as sugar. They are also called "October oranges" because they can be eaten when the peel is still green in the tenth month of the lunar calendar.

As a seasonal fruit that is available around the Spring Festival, sugar oranges can become the "C position" player of party fruits for five main reasons:

1. Really delicious - very sweet

The sugar content of sugar mandarin oranges is relatively high among fruits. The sugar content of the tangerines, kumquats, mandarin oranges, and blood oranges we usually eat are 9%, 4%, 10.1%, and 7.2% respectively, while the sugar content of sugar mandarin oranges is about 12%.

Moreover, the sugar-acid ratio of sugar oranges is as high as over 20, and some can even reach 27. The sugar-acid ratio has a great influence on the taste. The larger the sugar-acid ratio, the sweeter the taste. The sugar-acid ratios of mandarin oranges, kumquats, mandarin oranges, and blood oranges are only 16.3, 5.8, 16.8, and 5.1.

In addition, the fructose content of sugar oranges is also relatively high. We know that among the three types of sugars, sucrose, fructose and glucose, glucose is the least sweet and fructose is the sweetest, even up to 1.73 times that of sucrose.

Image source: Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents

In addition, the tangerines will become sweeter as they age. First, the citric acid content of the tangerines will decrease during storage; second, the sucrose content will increase in a fluctuating manner during storage, while fructose and glucose will first decrease slightly and then increase, reaching a maximum of 70.2 mg/g and 57.5 mg/g respectively.

2. Really easy to handle - no need to wash, just peel and eat

Sugar oranges are small in size, do not need to be washed, have thin peels, are easy to peel, have a high edible rate, and have almost no seeds, making them very suitable for eating while chatting, and are very convenient to eat one at a time. However, the peel and flesh of the Golden Autumn Sugar Orange are closely connected, making it difficult to peel.

The peel of fresh tangerines is thin and brittle, and it breaks down when peeled. Image source: provided by the author

3. Really good smell - comes with natural fragrance, strong atmosphere

When peeling a sugar orange, the oil glands on the peel (the small bumps on the orange peel) burst and the volatile aromatic substances contained inside will emit a strong and refreshing fragrance, which not only makes the entire space fragrant, but also stimulates the sense of smell and makes people want to eat more.

The peel oil of citrus fruits contains fragrant aldehydes and terpenes with citrus aroma. Sugar oranges are rich in volatile components such as limonene, α-pinene, 3-carene, ethanol, and camphene. Among them, limonene has a pleasant fresh mint and orange aroma and is the most important volatile component in sugar oranges. α-pinene and 3-carene have the aroma of pine resin. Acetaldehyde has a clear aroma with a spicy flavor.

Their combined effect makes the sugar orange fragrant and pleasant.

4. Really cool - the more you eat, the happier you are

The sweetness of sugar oranges can promote the secretion of dopamine in the body, making us feel happy and joyful. At the same time, looking at the "orange peel mountain" on the table gives us a sense of accomplishment. Eating just one is not enough, and we will be happier if we eat one after another. Therefore, we will become more and more addicted and cannot stop eating.

5. Really cheap

The most important thing is that around the Spring Festival, the price of sugar oranges is really cheap! A few yuan per pound, or even a few cents per pound, so many families buy sugar oranges by the basket!

The small tangerines have thin skins that are easy to peel, taste sweet, and are so affordable. Who can refuse such delicious and cheap fruit at a party?

Orange peel hill. Image source: provided by the author

But I really advise you not to eat too much

If you eat too much, you will turn into a "Minion".

Although sugar oranges are particularly eye-catching, you also have to control the amount.

Eating too much every day may cause many problems, such as weight gain, dry mouth, swollen and painful gums, mouth ulcers, and most importantly, it will make people "turn yellow".

1. Eating too much will turn you into a Minion

Orange foods are generally rich in beta-carotene, which can be converted into vitamin A in the body and is good for our eyes and skin health. However, if you eat too much beta-carotene in a short period of time, it will cause excessive carotene to enter the body. If the body cannot metabolize it for a while, it will be deposited in the skin and turn it yellow, resulting in "hypercarotenemia".

This symptom has no impact on health, so we don't need to worry. As long as we stop taking foods rich in carotene for about a week, it will recover on its own and the skin will slowly return to its original color. Drinking more water can also speed up metabolism!

2. Be careful not to get fat if you eat too much

If you want to control your weight and not turn yellow, you have to control the amount of food you eat. Every 100 grams of sugar oranges has about 56 calories and 13 grams of carbohydrates. Eating 15 small sugar oranges in one go basically consumes the same amount of calories as half a bowl of steamed rice.

According to the recommendations in the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents", it is enough to eat 200-350g of fruit per day. If you plan to eat tangerines as fruit throughout the day, you can eat about 20 smaller ones in total, and about 11 larger ones.

Small sugar orange weighs about 15 grams (about 3cm in diameter). Image source: provided by the author

Large tangerine weighs about 30 grams (about 4.5 cm in diameter). Image source: provided by the author

The question is: How to buy

Which tangerine is the most suitable for a dinner party?

Of course, you must choose the sweetest tangerines, which are so suitable for eating at parties. If you want to buy delicious tangerines, you must follow these 5 tips!

1. Choose the one with leaves

It is recommended to choose sugar oranges with leaves. The peel of sugar oranges is thin. If you pick them without leaves, the peel is likely to be damaged. Sugar oranges cut directly from the tree with leaves are better preserved, the fruit is fresher, and can be stored more easily.

At the same time, you should also observe the condition of the leaves. If the leaves have wilted or curled up badly, they may have been left for too long and are no longer fresh.

Tangerine with leaves. Image source: provided by the author

2. Choose the one with intact skin

The skin of sugar oranges is thin and can easily go bad if bumped. Look carefully when buying, and try not to buy sugar oranges with punctured or mechanically damaged skins, otherwise they will not last long after you bring them home, and may have gone bad.

Also observe the surface of the peel, and choose the ones that feel rough, have many small particles (seed glands), and are uneven. If the surface is smooth, it may be a tribute orange that looks like a sugar orange.

3. Don’t choose fruits with red peel

If the peel of the sugar orange is too bright, it may be dyed. Most illegal vendors use Citrus Red No. 2. After gently wiping this dyed sugar orange with a paper towel, there will be obvious color on it, and the fingers will turn red after peeling.

When peeling a normal undyed tangerine, due to the effect of carotene, only a faint yellow color will remain, not reddish. Even if you accidentally buy a dyed tangerine, don't worry too much, you can wash it several times and wipe it clean before peeling it. Experiments have shown that the skin of dyed tangerines does contain synthetic colorants, but no synthetic colorants have been detected in the flesh.

4. Don’t choose too big

Compared with large-sized tangerines, small and medium-sized tangerines are more conducive to maintaining the nutrition and flavor of the fruit, and can generally be stored in the refrigerator for 30 days or even longer. The diameter of the small fruit here is less than 3.7cm, the diameter of the medium fruit is 3.7cm~4.2cm, and the diameter of the large fruit is greater than 4.2cm.

5. Don’t choose ones that are too soft to pinch

Gently pinch it with your hands. If it feels firm, it means the fruit is fresh and is recommended. It is not recommended to buy tangerines that are soft to the touch or that can clearly feel the skin and flesh separated.

The Chinese New Year is just around the corner, and it’s the peak season for eating tangerines. If you don’t want to gain weight, turn yellow, or get “irritated”, you should eat them with moderation! How many tangerines have you consumed at most in one go?

References

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This article is a work of Science Popularization China-Starry Sky Project

Produced by: Science Popularization Department of China Association for Science and Technology

Producer｜China Science and Technology Press Co., Ltd., Beijing Zhongke Xinghe Culture Media Co., Ltd.

Author: Xue Qingxin, registered nutritionist

Review | Zhong Kai, Researcher at the National Food Safety Risk Assessment Center