Is shonan gold vegan?

Shonan gold is a hybrid citrus fruit developed in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, named after the Japanese coastal region of Shonan and the fruit's bright yellow peel. The fruit was created by crossbreeding the golden nugget citrus variety with a satsuma mandarin. Commercial food manufacturers process shonan gold into raw juice, concentrated puree, dried peel, or essential oil extracts. It most commonly appears on ingredient lists for Japanese confections, carbonated beverages, craft beers, fruit jellies, sorbets, and baked snacks.

This ingredient is vegan because it is derived entirely from a plant source. Grown on agricultural fruit orchards and processed using standard mechanical methods such as pressing, washing, and distillation, it contains no animal products and does not rely on animal-derived processing aids. Because it is a purely botanical component, shonan gold is entirely suitable for vegan diets.