Organic mandarin oranges are in full swing and they are a favorite fruit around many homes. How could they not be? They’re tasty, easy to eat, and loaded with vitamins. Organic mandarins may be truer than their conventional counterparts. Most of the organic citrus we eat in this country is from California, Florida, Texas or Arizona. Spain, however, is the second leading producer in the world of mandarin oranges and the main supplier of mandarin oranges and juice moving through international markets. So it makes sense that the a study about the benefits of mandarin oranges originates from there.
According to a report from The Organic Center, a team of Spanish scientists grew conventional and organic oranges on the same farm, using the same irrigation methods and variety of tree. The study was carefully designed to eliminate or control other sources of variation in the nutrient and sensory quality parameters addressed by the team.
The conventional blocks of oranges were treated with up to nine herbicides and four insecticides. Weeds were controlled in the organic trees with cultivation, and insects were controlled with neem oil and pheromone traps. Interestingly, the team reported few differences between the conventional and organic oranges at the time of picking, although the organic fruit was marginally smaller.
So what effect did organic farming have on the fruit and juice it produced? The scientists found that organically grown mandarin oranges produced juice that is more intensely colored, had a superior aroma and taste, contained higher levels of all eight minerals studied (in three cases by 50 percent or more), had a 40 percent higher concentration of total carotenoids (Vitamin A), and contained 13 percent more Vitamin C!
So how do you know if you are buying a mandarin orange? One easy way to tell is that mandarin oranges have a bright orange skin that is easy to peel, and inner segments that are easily separated. Common varieties are Satsuma, Clementine, Dancy, Honey and Pixie.






