The distinctive dark sanguinelli blood orange color is due to the presence of anthocyanins, a family of polyphenol pigments common to many flowers and fruit, but uncommon in citrus fruits. The blood orange is a natural mutation of the orange, which is itself a hybrid, probably between the pomelo and the tangerine. Moro’, the newest variety of the three. While also pigmented, Cara cara navels and Vainiglia sanguignos have pigmentation based on lycopene, not anthocyanins as blood oranges do.
