Comparative and organic analysis and characterization of varieties of tangerines

The Brazilian production of citrus fruits is of great importance and the consumer market is quite demanding. Despite of this market, there are very few commercial varieties available and the information on them is insufficient. The objective of this work was to evaluate 26 varieties of tangerine, in order to identify early or late varieties, in relation to 'Ponkan', that can be used for “in natura” consumption and as raw material for the Juice and Drug industries. The varieties were harvested at ripening stage, considered the ideal stage for commercialization. The tangerines' pH, titratable acidity (TA) and soluble solids (SS) content, ratio SS/TA, vitamin C content, and total extractable polyphenols, total antioxidant activity, number of seeds, juice yield, and peel color were evaluated. In addition, the characterization of the organic compounds, obtained from extracts analyzed by mass spectrometry, were conducted using electrospray ionization (ESI) technique. The experiment was performed in a completely randomized design, the data were submitted to analysis of variance, and the means were compared by Scott-Knott test. The tangerines 'Clemenules', 'Tangor Robson', 'Imazu Ponkan' and 'Nankan 20' are alternatives to 'Ponkan' for “in natura” consumption. However 'Dekopon' and 'Ortanique' are qualified for industry. The tangerines 'Clementina x Murcott' and 'Clementina Palazelli' present in their peel chemical profiles that must be studied and can be exploited by pharmacological sciences.