Mango is regarded as the queen of fruits in tropical areas of the world. It is native to southern Asia, especially Burma and eastern India. It spreads early on to Malaya, eastern Asia and eastern Africa. Then it were introduced to California (Santa Barbara) in 1880. Prior to the severe freezes of the 1980s, numerous mango trees were in production in yards across the lower Rio Grande Valley, including a small orchard near Mercedes. Mango peel contains pigments that may have antioxidant properties, including carotenoids, such as the provitamin A compound, beta-carotene, lutein and alpha-carotene, polyphenols such as quercetin, kaempferol, gallic acid, caffeic acid, catechins, tannins, and the unique mango xanthone, mangiferin, any of which may counteract free radicals in various disease processes as revealed in preliminary research. The yellow mango pigment can be mixed with acid red and blue colors to make orange and green colors used in fruit juice preparation.