"Tangerines are sweeter when chilled"... Is it okay to put them in the refrigerator before eating?

"Tangerines are sweeter when chilled"... Is it okay to put them in the refrigerator before eating?

 

Reporter Choi Ji-hye (jhchoi@kormedi.com)

 

With the onset of chilly weather, tangerines have entered their season. Tangerines, which are in season from October to January, are sweet and sour on their own, but there is a way to enjoy them even more deliciously: eating them chilled.

 

The sweet taste of tangerines comes from fructose. Fructose is the sweetest of all sugars and has the characteristic of undergoing chemical changes depending on temperature.

 

When fructose is exposed to high temperatures, the hydroxyl group (OH) attached to the 5th carbon of the fructose molecule faces downward, becoming the 'alpha form.' At lower temperatures, it faces upward rather than downward, becoming the 'beta form.' It has been revealed that the beta form is three times sweeter than the alpha form. In other words, tangerines stored in a refrigerator or a cool warehouse become sweeter than those stored at room temperature.

 

What happens if you put a tangerine in a freezer to make it very cold? Theoretically, the tangerine would become sweeter, but our tongues cannot perceive this. The surface of the tongue is home to taste buds, which are organs that detect taste. Taste buds become numb at temperatures that are too cold or too hot, making it difficult to distinguish flavors. Even if taste buds detect taste molecules and transmit them to the brain, the brain perceives the taste differently depending on the temperature. According to research by Yale University, people perceive taste differently each time the temperature of their tongue is lowered.

If you want to properly enjoy sweet tangerines, choosing the right ones is also important. Tangerines are affected by temperature, sunlight, and wind during their growth. When tangerines are subjected to stress, such as from large temperature differences between day and night or strong winds, their aroma and sweetness can increase, resulting in delicious tangerines.

 

Based on the tangerines we commonly eat (Onshu tangerines), those that have been under a lot of stress tend to be small in size and have thin peels. Conversely, large tangerines grown without stress have a high nitrogen content, resulting in a less flavorful taste and thick peels.

Even when considering the composition of tangerine peels, thinner peels are more likely to be tastier. Tangerine peels are composed of a high-molecular-weight carbohydrate called pectin. Sweetness is produced when carbohydrates are broken down into smaller units. If the peel is thick, it is highly likely that the high-molecular-weight carbohydrate polymers have not been converted into small sugar units. On the other hand, Hallabong tangerines taste better when they are large and have thick peels.

 

Meanwhile, eating just 3 to 4 tangerines a day has a calorie count similar to a bowl of rice. To replenish the vitamin C abundant in tangerines while managing your weight, eating 2 a day is appropriate.

 

⟨3-Line Summary⟩

Fructose, the sweet component of tangerines, becomes sweeter at low temperatures, so tangerines stored in the refrigerator taste better.

Putting tangerines in the freezer can make the tangerines themselves sweeter, but it is difficult for the taste buds on the tongue to perceive the sweetness.

The more stressed a tangerine is, the tastier it is, and such tangerines tend to have thin peels and be small in size.

 

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Without putting it in the refrigerator,

I'm keeping it at room temperature and eating it,

The tangerines in the refrigerator taste better haha.

As expected, the tangerines with thin peels and small sizes

It's sweet -> I guess it's because I'm under a lot of stress