The tangerine tree is smaller than oranges with slender branches, and deep-green leaves with pointed ends. The fruit is flat, small compared to "Navel" or "Valencia" oranges. Its loose, deep-orange color skin (pericarp) can be peeled rather easily. Inside, it features extensive fibrous pith, which is loosely attached between underside of skin and edible arils. An average-sized fruit has 8-10 juicy segments (arils).
As in oranges, Tangerines too are very low (53 calories/100 g) in calories. Nevertheless, they are valuable sources of flavonoid anti-oxidants like naringenin, naringin, hesperetin, vitamin A, carotenes, xanthins and luteins; in fact, several times higher than in the oranges.
In addition, the citrus fruits are very rich sources of vitamin-C (ascorbic acid), a water-soluble vitamin. Vitamin-C is one of the powerful natural anti-oxidant, which play vital role in collagen synthesis, wound healing, anti-viral, anti-cancer activity, and help prevent from neuro-degenerative diseases, arthritis, and cold/fever...etc., by removing oxidant-free radicals from the body. Vitamin C helps absorb iron in the food by reducing ferrous form of the iron elements to easily absorbing ferric form inside the gut.
