Tianxian Cave Loquat

Tianxian Cave Loquat

Tianxian Cave Loquat is a product with geographical indication certification.

　　Tianxian Cave Loquat is one of the specialty fruits of Naxi District and has been awarded the "Geographical Indication Product Certification for Tianxian Cave Loquat" by the National Ministry of Agriculture. In 1988, Naxi County established Sichuan Province's first loquat production base. By the mid-1990s, Naxi had built a "Ten-Mile Loquat Corridor," gaining fame both within and outside the province. It gets its name from the fact that its main production bases are located around the national AAAA-level tourist attraction — Tianxian Cave Tourist Scenic Area. Its main cultivated varieties include Early Zhong 6, Naxi Zao Hong, Jiefang Zhong, and Guifei. The harvest season lasts from late April to early June. Tianxian Cave Loquats are large in size, with fine and dense flesh, a pleasant sweet-and-sour taste, a bright and attractive appearance, plenty of flesh, and a rich sweetness. They are highly nutritious, containing various fruit sugars, glucose, potassium, phosphorus, iron, calcium, as well as vitamins A, B, and C, making them very popular among consumers. Text and photo materials provided by the Agriculture Bureau of Naxi District, Luzhou City.

　　Geographical Scope

　　The production area of Tianxian Cave Loquat is located in the southern part of Sichuan Province. The protected region covers 176 villages across 12 towns in Naxi District, Luzhou City, including Dadukou, Huguo, Dagu, Shangma, Hemian, Fengle, Baijie, Tianxian, Mianhuapo, Xinle, Quba, and Longche. To the east it borders Hejiang County, to the south it connects with Xuyong County, to the west it adjoins Jiang'an County, and to the north it neighbors Jiangyang District of Luzhou City. Its geographical coordinates are between 105°09′–105°37′ east longitude and 28°02′14″–28°26′53″ north latitude, spanning 41 kilometers from east to west and 46 kilometers from north to south. The protected area for Tianxian Cave Loquat covers 5,000 hectares, with an annual yield of 80,000 tons.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　(1) Sensory Characteristics: Tianxian Cave Loquats are inverted oval in shape, large in size, slightly indented at the top, and tapering at the base. The fruit surface is orange-yellow, with abundant bloom, few rust spots, closed calyxes, moderately thick peel that is easy to peel, thick flesh, fine and dense texture, moderate juice content, well-balanced sweet-and-sour flavor, strong aroma, high edible rate, and 3–6 seeds. (2) Internal Quality Indicators: The soluble solids content of Tianxian Cave Loquats is ≥9%, and can reach up to 16.8%. The edible rate is ≥70%. (3) Safety Requirements: The quality of Tianxian Cave Loquats complies with the standards of the "Green Food Tropical and Subtropical Fruits" regulation (NY/T-750-2003).