日本語版

Citrus maxima

ingredient / ingredient-banpeiyu

晩白柚

Citrus maxima is a large citrus fruit described as native to the Malay Peninsula and Polynesia and introduced to the Yatsushiro area of Kumamoto Prefecture. It is a registered product under the geographical indication (GI) protection system. It has been analyzed as a "bitter-type" citrus containing abundant naringin and limonin.

Photographs (captions in Japanese)

A single very large, round, pale yellow citrus fruit with a smooth surface on a white background. A red label at the top reads "晩白柚" (banpeiyu).

A large, rounded yellow fruit with a "晩白柚 (banpeiyu)" label.

Shown: Citrus maximaPart / state: Whole fruit (outer peel, with origin label)

Photo: Hồ Đức Hải / CC BY-SA 4.0 / original image / ledger's original image

Scope and provenance of the photo

Identification: Identified as labelled in the source. The description is "Banpeiyu pomelo". The cultivar name is explicitly given in the source through the label. I opened the image and confirmed that the characters "晩白柚" are printed on the label attached to the fruit.

Image shown: Same size as the original on Wikimedia Commons. No cropping or color changes. For display, a WebP capped at 1200 px wide is served; the ledger's original image can be checked from the link above.

On this page (9 sections)
  1. Overview
  2. Sources for this overview (2)
  3. Topic hubs
  4. Follow the connections
  5. Related entries (10)
  6. Composition and content (2)
  7. Sensory (1)
  8. Safety and regulation (2)
  9. Culture (1)
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Reading the bitterness

Banpeiyu (Citrus maxima) is a large citrus fruit described as native to the Malay Peninsula and Polynesia; it was introduced to the Yatsushiro area of Kumamoto Prefecture, where it became a local specialty. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries’ geographical indication (GI) registration information, it was introduced to Japan in 1930, planted in Yatsushiro in 1951 when the area was found suitable, and given a shipping standard for large fruit in 1965. This differs from an alternative chronology on commercial sites and elsewhere, 『1920年に台湾へ、1935年に熊本県果樹試験場へ』 (in translation: "to Taiwan in 1920 and to the Kumamoto Prefectural Fruit Tree Experiment Station in 1935"); the government GI registration is given priority here.

Banpeiyu was registered under the geographical indication (GI) protection system on March 30, 2020, as 『八代特産晩白柚』 (in translation: "Yatsushiro Specialty Banpeiyu"), registration number 94. The shipping standard requires a transverse diameter of at least 15 cm, and large fruit may exceed 4 kg. The production area is Yatsushiro City and Hikawa Town in Yatsushiro District, Kumamoto Prefecture. Shipments of 800 tonnes in fiscal 2018 are described as about 90% of national production.

A comparison of bitter compounds in 8 Kumamoto citrus cultivars, conducted by the Kumamoto Prefectural Industrial Technology Center during fiscal 2005–2007, provides compositional evidence for banpeiyu’s bitterness. In that study, banpeiyu was classified with Kawano natsudaidai, Ohtachibana, and Kawachi bankan as a 『苦味系』 (in translation: "bitter-type") citrus containing abundant naringin and limonin in its juice and peel. Nomilin, however, was described as undetected. This classification has only been checked at the abstract level; the original report’s specific quantitative values (such as mg%) have not yet been verified.

Sources for this overview

  1. 八代特産晩白柚（地理的表示登録産品）

    農林水産省 地理的表示保護制度 / 2020 / government document / full text checked

    Checked for this overview: Used the GI registration’s introduction year and local establishment history as support for paragraph 1. / Used the GI registration number and numerical shipping standard as support for paragraph 2. / Used the production area and shipment volume as support for paragraph 2.

  2. カンキツ類の苦味成分と加熱による臭いの変化

    熊本県産業技術センター / 2008 / government document / full text checked

    Checked for this overview: Used the description of naringin in the bitter-type classification as support for paragraph 3. / Used the detection of limonin and non-detection of nomilin as support for paragraph 3.

Follow the connections

Citrus maxima →contains→ naringin →is associated with→ bitterness

Citrus maxima →contains→ limonin →is associated with→ bitterness

Structured claims — open a section to read each claim's confidence, evidence and limits

Composition and content (2)

Citrus maxima contains naringinsupported

Scope: Kumamoto Prefectural Industrial Technology Center research, 2005-2007 fiscal years, 8-variety comparison

Banpeiyu was treated as being classified with Kawano Natsudaidai, Daibukuro, and 「河内晩柑」 (Kawachi Bankan) as a 『苦味系』 (in translation: bitter type) containing high levels of naringin and limonin in juice and pericarp.
Limitations: Quantitative values have not been confirmed (presence/absence classification only).
Source: カンキツ類の苦味成分と加熱による臭いの変化 (熊本県産業技術センター, 2008) · full text checked
Show dataingredient-banpeiyu —contains→ compound-naringin
claim: clm-w40b-banpeiyu-naringin / type: composition / updated: 2026-09-02
Citrus maxima contains limoninsupported

Scope: Kumamoto Prefectural Industrial Technology Center research, 2005-2007 fiscal years, 8-variety comparison

The summary section states that Kawano Natsudaidai, Daiorange, Kawachibankan, and Banpeiyu 「果汁及び果皮にナリンギン、リモニンを多く含む」 (in translation: "contain much naringin and limonin in juice and peel"). In the detailed section, these 4 varieties contain bitter naringin, and Banpeiyu, together with Ponkan and Sweet Spring, is listed as containing bitter limonoids in its juice. The document has no category word 「苦味系」 (in translation: "bitter type"); the grouping is by the presence of naringin. All varieties except Satsuma mandarin have peel limonin. Nomilin is contained only in Kawachibankan.
Limitations: Quantitative values have not been confirmed (presence/absence classification only).
Source: カンキツ類の苦味成分と加熱による臭いの変化 (熊本県産業技術センター, 2008) · full text checked
Show dataingredient-banpeiyu —contains→ compound-limonin
claim: clm-w40b-banpeiyu-limonin / type: composition / updated: 2026-10-06

Sensory (1)

Citrus maxima — perceived bitterness is affected by: A method for removing bitterness from citrus peel for marmalade. The outer peel (flavedo) and inner peel (albedo) of banpeiyu (pomelo) were treated in 3 ways: 0.1% naringinase solution (40°C, 2 hours), 1% hydrochloric acid (soaked for 2 hours at room temperature, then rinsed and boiled for 5 minutes with the water changed, repeated 3 times), and boiling water (boiled for 5 minutes with the water changed, repeated 3 times). 10 members of a cooking laboratory compared the peels by ranking test, and for both outer and inner peel the naringinase-treated peel was judged the most bitter (rank sums for bitterness: outer peel naringinase 13, hydrochloric acid 25, boiling water 22; inner peel 13, 24, 23; smaller means stronger). The remaining limonin was highest after naringinase treatment (outer peel 8.1 ppm, hydrochloric acid 4.5, boiling water 3.1), and the remaining naringin was highest after boiling-water treatment (remaining in outer peel: naringinase 35.7 mg%, hydrochloric acid 32.6, boiling water 46.7), so the sensory bitterness did not follow the order of remaining naringin.supported

Scope: Outer peel (2 mm × 10 mm) and inner peel (5 mm squares) of banpeiyu obtained from the Kumamoto Prefectural Fruit Tree Experiment Station in November 1984. 2 g of each was treated. Ten people evaluated 3 items (bitterness, hardness and color) by ranking test, with the strongest or darkest ranked 1st. Sensory evaluation of the treated peel before it was made into marmalade

Note: Table 6 of the original marks bitterness with a 1% level symbol (**), but the text describes the significant differences as "between the enzyme method and the hydrochloric acid method" for the outer peel and likewise for the inner peel, and gives the panel's coefficient of concordance W for bitterness as 0.39 for the outer peel and 0.67 for the inner peel (5% level). The text does not state whether the difference between boiling water and the other treatments is significant. The Methods section explicitly states that the strongest is ranked 1st, and the rank sums check out (smaller means stronger). The authors presume that naringinase does not soften the peel and limonin remains inside the cells, so that it touches the tongue when chewed and tastes bitter (a presumption, not a measurement). Hydrochloric acid treatment softened the peel, but the text does not show a difference in bitterness between the boiling-water and hydrochloric acid treatments. Banpeiyu is a pomelo-type citrus and the findings are not applied to other citrus such as natsumikan.

The bitterness rank sums in Table 6 are naringinase 13, hydrochloric acid 25 and boiling water 22 for the outer peel, and 13, 24 and 23 for the inner peel. The text states that for the outer peel there was a 1% significant difference in bitterness between the enzyme method and the hydrochloric acid method, with stronger bitterness in the enzyme method, and likewise for the inner peel, and sums up that in the sensory test, unlike the naringin measurements, the enzyme method was the most bitter. Remaining limonin in Table 3 was, for the outer peel, 14.1 ppm untreated, 8.1 with naringinase, 4.5 with hydrochloric acid and 3.1 with boiling water, and for the inner peel 14.8, 8.1, 5.8 and 3.5 ppm. Remaining naringin in Table 1 was, for the outer peel, 138.0 (untreated), 35.7, 32.6 and 46.7 mg%, and for the inner peel 388.3, 101.0, 84.7 and 163.0 mg%; the hot-water treatment left the most.
Limitations: A ranking test with 10 people; the text does not state whether the difference between boiling water and the other treatments is significant. It is a sensory evaluation of the treated peel, not of the finished marmalade. One variety of peel. The 1% level symbol in Table 6 and the text's statement that the panel's coefficient of concordance for bitterness is at the 5% level can be read in different ways.
Source: マーマレード加工における果皮の脱苦味の検討 (森下敏子; 和田令子, 1986) · full text checked
Show dataingredient-banpeiyu —has_perceived_bitterness_affected_by→ (the claim sentence above)
claim: clm-mrb-banpeiyu-peel-debittering-sensory-morishita-1986 / type: sensory / updated: 2026-10-15

Safety and regulation (2)

Citrus maxima is registered as A product registered under the geographical indication (GI) protection system as 「八代特産晩白柚」 (in translation: "Yatsushiro Specialty Banpeiyu"), registration number 94, on March 30, 2020. The shipping standard requires a transverse diameter of at least 15 cm.supported

Scope: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries geographical indication protection system.

Registration number 94; registered on March 30, 2020. This large citrus can exceed 4 kg, and the shipping standard requires a transverse diameter of at least 15 cm.
Source: 八代特産晩白柚（地理的表示登録産品） (農林水産省 地理的表示保護制度, 2020) · full text checked
Show dataingredient-banpeiyu —is_registered_as→ (the claim sentence above)
claim: clm-w40b-banpeiyu-gi-registration / type: regulatory / updated: 2026-09-02
Citrus maxima — designated production zone: Yatsushiro City and Hikawa Town, Yatsushiro District, Kumamoto Prefecture. Fiscal 2018 shipments were 800 tonnes, accounting for about 90% of national production.supported

Scope: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries geographical indication protection system.

The production area is Yatsushiro City and Hikawa Town, Yatsushiro District, Kumamoto Prefecture. The area currently accounts for about 90% of national production; fiscal 2018 shipments were 800 tonnes.
Source: 八代特産晩白柚（地理的表示登録産品） (農林水産省 地理的表示保護制度, 2020) · full text checked
Show dataingredient-banpeiyu —has_designated_production_zone→ (the claim sentence above)
claim: clm-w40b-banpeiyu-designated-zone / type: regulatory / updated: 2026-09-02

Culture (1)

Citrus maxima — history: Its origin is described as the Polynesia–Malaysia region, and it was introduced to Japan in 1930. It was planted in the Yatsushiro area of Kumamoto Prefecture in 1951, when the area was found suitable. A large-fruit shipping standard was established in 1965.supported

Scope: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries geographical indication (GI) protection system registration information.

Note: The chronology widely found on commercial sites and elsewhere, 『大正9年(1920)、植物学者・島田弥市が台湾へ導入、昭和10年(1935)に熊本県果樹試験場へ』 (in translation: "In Taisho 9 (1920), botanist Yaichi Shimada introduced it to Taiwan; in Showa 10 (1935), it reached the Kumamoto Prefectural Fruit Tree Experiment Station"), differs in both the introduction year for Japan and the date of its establishment in Yatsushiro. The government GI registration is given priority, and the discrepancy is recorded here.

The GI record describes Polynesia and Malaysia as banpeiyu’s place of origin and states that it was introduced to Japan in 1930, planted in Yatsushiro in 1951 when the area was found suitable, given shipping standards in 1965, and exported to Hong Kong beginning in 2014.
Limitations: Parts of the GI account differ from the alternative chronology on commercial sites and elsewhere, 『1920年に台湾へ、1935年に熊本県果樹試験場へ』 (in translation: "to Taiwan in 1920 and to the Kumamoto Prefectural Fruit Tree Experiment Station in 1935"). This investigation did not reach primary historical records that could reconcile the two accounts.
Source: 八代特産晩白柚（地理的表示登録産品） (農林水産省 地理的表示保護制度, 2020) · full text checked
Show dataingredient-banpeiyu —has_history→ (the claim sentence above)
claim: clm-w40b-banpeiyu-history / type: cultural / updated: 2026-09-02

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