Because of climate change, the taste of clementines is changing. This is the finding of researchers from INRAe who study the evolution of this citrus fruit at the research unit of San Giuliano in Corsica.
“The more sugar a product contains, the harder it is to taste its flavor.” Researcher Olivier Pailly and his team have concluded that the higher temperatures in the fall, when the clementines are ripening, force the fruit to consume more energy and therefore draw from its citric acid reserves. A situation which threatens the PGI Clementine of Corsica because this label requires a minimal level of acidity in its specifications.
But the researchers, based in San Giuliano (Haute-Corse), have already been working on alternatives for several years: the development of organic farming that would enhance the acidity of the fruits and work on the cells and genes of this fruit, among others.
Source: francetvinfo.fr