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| "Volcanic"
oranges protect our health !
This fruit juice contains 3 types of red oranges - Moro,
Sanguinello and Tarocco
- that grow on the slopes of Mount Etna, the volcano in
Sicily.
These 3 types are the darkest red oranges currently being
cultivated. The volcanic soil in which they grow is particularly
fertile due to the decomposition that it has undergone
over the centuries, and the soil itself is partly responsible
for the "wine red" colour of the pulp of the
oranges. The colour is, in fact, caused by the presence
of a red pigment, belonging to the flavonoid family and
containing nutrients called anthocyanines, true
molecules of Life.
Other nutrients also exist in fruit and vegetables. Belonging
to the carotenoid family, these are lycopeine found in
tomatoes, beta-carotene in carrots, luteine in green and
yellow vegetables, and beta-cryptoxanthine in oranges
and mandarins.
Studies carried out by European medical researchers at
the Institute of Food Research in Norwich, in the United
Kingdom, have demonstrated that anthocyanines,
like all of these other nutrients, play an extremely important
role in maintaining the right balance in the human body.
In addition to their protective effect on capillary blood
vessels and the mucus of the stomach, their anti-oxydant
properties fight against free radicals.
It is an established fact that cell oxidation is responsible
for the production of free radicals in the body, and that
these free radicals are largely responsible for the aging
process and the weakening of the body's immune system.
In addition, this process of cell degeneration may facilitate
the development of certain serious illnesses and conditions,
such as cancerous tumours.
By including precious molecules like anthocyanines
in our daily diet, we maintain our body's defences against
anti-oxydants, we protect our cells against aging, and
we guard against the loss of our vitality.
These varieties of red orange, with a high nutrient value,
have been awarded the Geographically Protected Denomination
(GPD) by the European Union.
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| Who cultivates
and harvests the oranges?
 AGRINOVA
Agrinova is an organic farming cooperative
in eastern Sicily - Ragusa, Siracusa, Catania - in the
volcanic region of Mount Etna. Founded in 1987, it is
controlled by the certifying body, ICEA.
Agrinova's 45 member-producers cultivate more than 450
hectares of agricultural land. Among them, Vincenzo
Li Destri, an agronomist and farmer, cultivates
several types of citrus fruit on the 20 hectares of land
that he owns in the province of Siracusa. He is the one
who produced and harvested, from December to March, the
oranges that were used to make this fruit juice.
For more than 20 years, Marcello Eberle,
Agrinova's marketing director, has distributed the cooperative's
organic citrus fruit: oranges, lemons and mandarins. He
believes that the best red oranges in the world grow on
the scorched Sicilian slopes dominated by Mount Etna.
Agrinova has been a partner of the European
organic farmers group Mandala Organic Growers since 1997.
Like all members of this group, Agrinova
respects the obligations imposed by the European Commission
in legislation on organic farming (EEC n°2092/91).
It does not use chemical fertilisers or pesticides, and
its production is rigorously controlled. In harmony with
the environment, the farmers cultivate the fruit and vegetables
in ground that is most favourable to their growth and
development. The red oranges of the Etna region bear fitting
testimony to the wisdom of this approach.
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| Bottling
the orange juice
 The
quality control of fruit juices is carried
out systematically in a private physio-chemical and bacteriological
analyses laboratory, in collaboration with the organic
chemistry laboratory of the University of Messina. Each
bottle that reaches the market, therefore, carries a guarantee
of optimal quality.
Traceability is assured by means of monitoring
each phase in the chain of production, making it possible
to retrace the route a product takes, from the farming
land to the point of sale.
The organic quality of these fruit juices is regularly
certified by the certifying body, BIOAGRICERT.
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This organic
orange juice is distributed by
Mandala Organic Growers
Mandala Organic Growers distributes its own fruit and vegetables.
It knows them, it gives them a name, and it tells their
story.
Thanks to its system of traceability on
Internet, the customer can follow the route taken by a fruit
or vegetable, from the farmer's field to the shelves of
the store, and can at all times know their source and the
time of their harvest. |
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To read the traceability code
of this organic orange juice, introduce the 7 digit code, which
you will find on the bottle cap, into the zone indicated for this
purpose.
Traceability : lets you know what you are
about to drink.
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