The ‘Minihyang’ mandarin is a new hybrid of ‘Kinokuni’בPonkan’ bred at the Citrus Research Institute, National Horticultural and Herbal Science, Korea. It has a small fruit size (30-40 g) and a high sugar content (12-14°Brix). Herein, a chemical characterization of ‘Minihyang’ was conducted. Free sugar, which determines sweetness, is a key component of food taste. Analysis of free sugar showed that the most abundant component was sucrose (8.81±0.45 g/100 g), followed by glucose (1.23±0.11 g/100 g), and fructose (1.23±0.08 g/100 g). Among the 20 free amino acids analyzed, arginine and asparagine accounted for 71% of the total amino acid content, displaying both amino acids at the highest content of 77.14 mg/100 g. The major flavonoids in citrus fruits differ between varieties, showing the differences among cultivars. The flavonoid contents of ‘Minihyang’ were higher in the peel than in the flesh, and hesperidin was identified as the major flavonoid, with 1,133.7 and 689.8 mg/100 g extracted from the peel and flesh, respectively. Furthermore, nobiletin and tangeretin, which are only present in citrus species, were identified in the peel. Volatile component analysis revealed that limonene content, a characteristic component of citrus fruits, was highest in the flesh of ‘Minihyang,’ accounting for approximately 75-80% of all volatile compounds. Notably, the order was fresh limonene>terpinene>terpinolene. Overall, this study revealed many functional compounds in the ‘Minihyang’ mandarin hybrid.
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