Discover the story behind clementines, a hugely popular citrus fruit in seasonal beverages and which is also gaining traction in culinary applications.
The history of clementines
The clementine is actually a part of the tangerine family of fruits. Like the seedless banana, clementines do not exist in the wild. They are entirely the fruit of spontaneous human ingenuity which arose in the late 19th century in Algeria, in the garden of the orphanage of the French Missionary Brother Clément Rodier, for whom it was formally named in 1902. Clementines have no pips and are a cross between a mandarin and a bitter orange, and are generally smaller, sweeter and easier to peel than oranges (known as having ‘zipper skins’ in Florida).
Delicate cultivation
Clementines are fragile so they are hand-picked to ensure they keep for longer. They are typically harvested from November to January and are often associated with the Christmas season. Clementines differ from other citrus in having lower heat requirement, which means the tolerance to fruit maturity and sensitivity to unfavourable conditions during the flowering and fruit-setting period is higher. In regions of high year-round heat, such as North Africa, the Mediterranean and California, the clementine bears fruit early.
Sourcing our clementines
Clementine was one of the first citrus oils bought and processed by Treatt in the USA when the facility opened in Haines City, Florida in 1990. It remains an integral part of the product range to this day. Treatt primarily sources clementines from California, where they were introduced into commercial agriculture in 1914. Clementine peel oil, also known as cold pressed or expressed oil, is unique in taste and odour. Treatt uses the clementine in speciality blends and products as well as in folded and terpeneless tangerine offerings. We also use clementine in our TreattClear™ line of extracts as it provides wonderful juiciness and superb aroma to a beverage.
The composition of a clementine
A clementine contains 87% water, 12% carbohydrates and negligible amounts of fat and protein. Among micronutrients, they are rich in vitamin C (59% of the daily value in a 100 gram serving) and contain other vitamins and minerals, such as thiamine and folate. Their oils, like other citrus fruits, contain mostly limonene as well as myrcene, linalool, α-pinene and other complex aromatics. Some of the most flavourful components in citrus are the aroma chemicals known as aldehydes, such as octanal and decanal for orange, grapefruit and tangerine, or citral for lemon and lime. For clementine oil, besides the octanal and decanal supplying substantial flavour, a major aldehyde is sinensal, of which there are two isomers, alpha and beta. In cold pressed orange and other tangerine varieties, the beta isomer is usually higher in concentration but in clementine oil, the alpha sinensal is higher, which contributes to its unique flavour.
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