Overview
Mandarins are a smaller and sweeter type of oranges that have a thin skin that peels off easily. The fruits contain a large amount of sugar (up to 10.5%), vitamins C, B1,B2, provitamin A, free organic acids, phytoncides, lectins, and mineral salts. Mostly, they have 64 calories, 53% of vitamin C (acts as an antioxidant to fight against damaging free radicals), 16% of vitamin A (essential in many components of healthy vision, immunity and cell growth) and 6% of potassium (involved in healthy nervous system functioning and contraction of the heart and muscles).
Fun Facts
- As of 2010, Brazil grows one third of all the world’s oranges.
- Because oranges do not spoil easily and are full of vitamin C, during the years of world exploration sailors planted orange and other citrus trees along trade routes to prevent scurvy which is a disease that develops from a deficiency of vitamin C
