Tangerine Nutrition Calculator — Calories, Beta-Cryptoxanthin & Vitamin C per Serving

A fresh tangerine (FDC 169105 — USDA lists these as 'tangerines, mandarin oranges, raw') delivers 53 calories per 100g with 0.81g protein, 0.31g fat, and 13.34g total carbohydrates including 10.58g natural sugars and 1.8g fiber. One medium tangerine (~88g) has about 47 calories — a convenient, self-contained snack portion ^[1].

What sets tangerines apart from other citrus is beta-cryptoxanthin at approximately 407mcg per 100g — a provitamin A carotenoid that USDA measures but most nutrition labels don't display. This is roughly 4x higher than oranges (~116mcg) and contributes to the 34mcg vitamin A (RAE) value. Beta-cryptoxanthin is the dominant carotenoid in tangerines and is the subject of ongoing nutritional research ^[1][2].

Calcium at 37mg per 100g is notably high for a citrus fruit — nearly matching lemon (26mg) and exceeding grapefruit (22mg). Two medium tangerines provide about 65mg calcium (5% DV), making them a modest but consistent calcium contributor when eaten regularly ^[1].

Tangerines (Citrus reticulata) and oranges (Citrus sinensis) are different species despite common confusion. The nutritional differences are meaningful: tangerines have 13% more calories (53 vs 47 kcal), 13% more sugar (10.58 vs 9.35g), but 50% less vitamin C (26.7 vs 53.2mg per 100g) compared to oranges ^[1].

The vitamin C gap is the most significant: an orange provides 59% DV per 100g while a tangerine provides 30% DV — essentially half. You'd need about 200g of tangerine (roughly 2.3 medium fruits) to match the vitamin C in 100g of orange. For people specifically tracking vitamin C intake, this distinction matters ^[1][3].

However, tangerines win on practical portability: a medium tangerine (88g) peels in seconds with no knife needed, while oranges typically require cutting. The smaller size also makes portion control more intuitive — one tangerine is a single, defined serving ^[1].

Canned mandarin oranges in juice pack (FDC 169106) have 37 calories per 100g vs. fresh tangerine's 53 kcal — a 30% reduction that seems counterintuitive. The explanation: canning liquid (juice) dilutes the fruit solids, reducing the calorie concentration per 100g. However, canned mandarins in light syrup jump to 61 kcal with 15.19g sugars — a 43% sugar increase from added sugar ^[1].

Vitamin C actually increases in juice-packed canned tangerines (34.2mg vs 26.7mg fresh) because the acidic canning liquid preserves ascorbic acid. This is unusual — most canning reduces vitamin C. Syrup-packed canned mandarins retain less (24.9mg) due to sugar dilution ^[1].

Fiber drops significantly in all canned forms — from 1.8g (fresh) to 0.7g (canned) per 100g — because canning softens and partially dissolves cell wall material. For fiber tracking, fresh tangerines are clearly superior. For calorie tracking with no added sugar, juice-packed canned mandarins are actually lower-calorie per serving than fresh ^[1].

Two medium tangerines (~176g total edible) deliver: 93 calories, 1.43g protein, 23.5g carbs (18.6g sugar, 3.2g fiber), 47mg vitamin C (52% DV), 65mg calcium, 292mg potassium, and 60mcg vitamin A. One medium orange (~131g) delivers: 62 calories, 1.3g protein, 15.4g carbs (12.2g sugar, 3.1g fiber), 69.7mg vitamin C (77% DV), 52mg calcium, 237mg potassium, and 14.4mcg vitamin A ^[1].

The trade-off is clear: two tangerines give you 50% more calories and 32% less vitamin C than one orange, but 25% more calcium, 3.5x more vitamin A, and comparable fiber. If vitamin C is the priority, one orange wins. If vitamin A and calcium matter more, the tangerine pair is stronger ^[1][2].

Potassium is 23% higher in the two-tangerine serving (292 vs 237mg), which compounds over a day of mixed fruit intake. Tangerines also provide significantly more beta-cryptoxanthin per serving — a carotenoid almost absent from oranges at the per-serving level ^[1].