Mandarins are those goodies that everyone loves, but not everyone can store properly. In order for fruits to not spoil for a long time, a number of requirements must be observed. How to store tangerines at home? You will learn about this by reading this article.
Factors affecting the shelf life of citrus fruits
How much to store tangerines at home? Shelf life of citrus may be different. On average, tangerine is stored for 10 days, but this period can be increased if you create the right temperature. The success of tropical fruit storage is affected by the color of the peel. Yellow tangerines are able to maintain their original appearance for two weeks. How to store tangerines? What is the optimum temperature for these fruits? They need to be stored at a temperature just above 0 degrees. If the peel of the fruit has a light greenish tint, the fruits should be stored at a temperature of +2 to +6 degrees. In such conditions, they will not deteriorate for two weeks.
Also, the country in which they grew affects the duration of storage of citrus fruits. This must be taken into account when purchasing goods. Tangerines grown in Abkhazia and Morocco can be stored for as long as possible. In contrast to all, the familiar Turkish and Spanish varieties very quickly deteriorate. Understanding which country tangerines are grown in is easy. The assistant in this matter will be not only the label, but also the appearance of the tropical fruit. In the first case, the fruits are distinguished by a yellow (possibly even light yellow) porous peel. They have an amazing sweet taste. In contrast, tangerines from Turkey have a very smooth surface.
Storage conditions for tangerines
How to store tangerines at home? Despite the fact that it is a tropical fruit, tangerines love the temperature + 4-8 degrees. In such conditions, they can retain all their beneficial properties for a whole month. However, it is necessary to observe not only the temperature regime, but also the humidity level. It should be about 80%. If the room is drier, the tropical fruit will gradually dry out, and this will lead to a significant loss of taste and good appearance. Spanish tangerines are distinguished by their large size.
Based on these parameters, you can choose tangerines that will not only like to taste, but also please you with the duration of storage. Also, the maturity level of tangerines affects the shelf life of useful qualities. Obviously, more ripe fruits will soon lose their shape. At the same time, greenish tangerines are able to lie longer.
We store tangerines at home
Where to store tangerines? They can be placed in one of the compartments of the refrigerator, taken out on a glazed balcony or lowered into the cellar. It is in these places that the optimum temperature regime can be ensured. Mandarins must be supplied with air. To do this, they can be placed in a perforated box. The main thing is not to use a closed plastic bag for these purposes. If there is no air intake, moisture may accumulate. This will lead to the destruction of valuable stocks and the appearance of rot.
If you do not place the tangerines in a cold place, but try to keep them at room temperature, the fruits will be stored for only a week. In a box, tangerines should be placed in no more than three layers. Otherwise, they will be poorly stored.
Features of the inspection of tangerines
Before placing the fruit in a refrigerator or other cold place, you should examine each mandarin very well. If the fruit has at least slight defects (especially bruising), the mandarin should be put aside, and not packaged with the rest of the fruit. To extend the shelf life of fruits, their peel can be wiped with cotton wool moistened with vegetable oil.
How to choose tangerines with a long shelf life?
How to store tangerines? Their shelf life, first of all, depends on the choice of high-quality fruits. Therefore, being in a supermarket or any other retail outlet, you need to have a good look at every tangerine that a person puts in a basket. It should be without the slightest dent or any other defect. If there is even a small error, you do not need to buy this fruit. Surely it will not be stored for long. After all, the presence of defects in the peel leads to the fact that air enters the fetus, and thereby the integrity of the mandarin is violated. Subsequently, he may very soon begin to rot. If you do not find a problem with the integrity of the peel in time, you can wait for other tangerines to be subjected to this unpleasant process.
The level of ripeness of mandarin can be determined by how well its peel is separated from the pulp. In a ripe fruit, the skin becomes as if large, so it is ideally separated from the pulp. Such a mandarin will delight you with its amazing taste, but the tropical fruit does not last long. Therefore, you do not need to buy such delicious tropical fruits in advance. If the tangerine should lie down for a while (for example, before the New Year holidays), then it is better that it is a little greenish.
The specifics of fruit selection
It is important to choose those tangerines in which each season is clearly visible. This means that their field is Abkhazia or Morocco. It is in these countries that charming delicious tangerines with porous skin are grown. If the tangerines are very smooth in appearance, there is a great chance that they are waxed. This often happens with imported varieties. Unscrupulous sellers are trying in any way to increase the shelf life of the tropical product. Therefore, fruits from supermarkets must be washed.
