Red oranges, from Sicily the real elixir of life

The red colour and the anthocyanins

The red Sicilian oranges owes their characteristic red colour thanks to some substances called "anthocyanins". Those same substances that have been recognised​ to be powerful antioxidants, can bring many benefits to our body.

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The gene "Ruby"

Thanks to the anthocyanins, the red Sicilian​ oranges are at the top of the list of healthy fruits and healthy nutrition. But what makes the Sicilian red oranges so characteristic? It's a gene. It is called "Ruby", and it has been identified by researchers at the European Athena Project.

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The oranges and the thermal gap

Red oranges become such and develop their high content of anthocyanin, only if there are certain environmental conditions. They need, for example, hot days and cold nights - these are needed especially during the maturation phase.
In absence of these climatic conditions, the fruits do not produce sufficient anthocyanin and end to be alike the common varieties of blond oranges. And so it is in Sicily, and more precisely in the typical climate of the Mount Etna area that the oranges find the ideal place for their proper development.

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The study also revealed that anthocyanins are present in either red or blond oranges, but show their presence and influence only in red variety. But why does that happen? In addition to the aforementioned influence of climate, researchers have discovered that this factor is determined by a feature of the Ruby gene present in red oranges, capable of influencing its activity.

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A real elixir of life

Several studies have shown that red oranges consumption reduces oxidative stress in diabetic patients, protects DNA from oxidative damage and can reduce cardiovascular risk factors to the same extent as other anthocyanin-rich foods. It is clear that red oranges represent an important resource for health and disease prevention.

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Better knowledge of the genetic and molecular basis of anthocyanin production in these fruits can pave the way, through genetic engineering, to varieties of red oranges that can be cultivated even in warmer climates. In this way, ​it would be possible to expand the cultivation and contribute to a greater availability of this particular type of citrus.

There are many varieties of blood oranges in the world but the most famous is the Sicilian red orange, which is grown only in Sicily. Other common varieties include:

Moro	a deeply red-colored and slightly bitter orange
Ruby Blood	which oddly it isn't very red inside
Sanguinello	it's very sweet with red streaks and few seeds
Tarocco	even this very sweet and easy to peel, but with red flesh

The red Sicilian oranges contain:

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Vitamin C - Folic Acid - Anthocyanins - Calcium - Vitamin A

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Summarizing: It is really the red tint that makes blood oranges healthy. Consider that these fruits are grown in the volcanic atmosphere of Mount Etna in Sicily. For this reason they own such high levels of antioxidants, which gives them these unique health benefits that are not found in normal oranges. So why you should buy normal oranges when you could have the miraculous sicilian reds?

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