Description

Punjab, on either side of the India-Pakistan border, is very much famous for “Kinnow” a high yield mandarin hybrid. Being the hybrid of two citrus cultivars, “King”- citrus nobolis and “willow-leaf”- citrus deliciosa, kinnow was released for cultivation in 1935, for the first time. Ever since,  the demand and popularity of Mandarin Orange (Pakistani) is evolving, drastically.

Harvesting Season:  

Generally, kinnow seeds are planted in the month from August to October, every year. Whereas its harvesting becomes pretty much ideal when the external color becomes all orange. Further, its best harvesting time is somewhere between mid-January to mid-February. And fruit quality declines thereafter. As a precautionary measure, harvesting by pulling fruits with one’s hand is avoided, because you would find it comparatively loose rind fruit. Interestingly, the use of commercial wax can increase the shelf life up to 60 days. Normally, the fruit is stored at 4-5 degrees C, and relative humidity of under 90%.

Fruit Processing:    

Mandarin –Orange – Kinnow (Pakistani) has huge demand all over the world. Countries like Iran, Bahrain, UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, KSA, Indonesia, Malaysia, UK, Russia, Netherlands are the big export market for Kinnow. This is the reason why fruit processing becomes very much crucial to keep intact the quality of food till the time it reaches the end consumer. To do so, the selection of good quality food is very much important. Ideally, a firm yet slightly soft, smooth-skinned with no grooves and red-oriented orange color, are the characteristics that you must go for.        

Nutrient Profile:

Honestly speaking, if we talk about vitamin C, the very first thing that comes to your mind is obviously, none other than the Orange. And we also know that it is a big source of natural immunity power.

One medium Mandarin- Kinnow-Orange (Pakistani) (88 grams) contain the following nutrients:

Calories: 47

Carbs: 12 grams

Protein: 0.7 grams

Fat: 0.3 grams

Fiber: 2 grams

Vitamin C: 26% of the Daily Value (DV)

Magnesium: 2.5% of the DV

Potassium: 3% of the DV

Copper: 4% of the DV

Iron: nearly 1% of the DV