A Comparative Study of the Chemical Composition by SPME-GC/MS and Antiradical Activity of Less Common Citrus Species.

Sara Vitalini,Vittorio Vinciguerra,Marcello Iriti,Stefania Garzoli

doi:10.3390/molecules26175378

Abstract

Citrus secondary metabolites, such as terpene compounds, are very important for human health due to their bioactivity including anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and antioxidant effects. In this work, for the first time, the volatile chemical composition of peels and juices from four different Citrus species (C. junos, Citrus × aurantium, C. aurantium ‘Bizzarria’ and C. medica ‘Florentina’, commonly known as Yuzu jeune, Oni Yuzu, Bizzarria orange and Florence cedar, respectively) was investigated by Solid-Phase Microextraction-Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (SPME-GC/MS) technique and the antiradical activity was also examined. The results showed that limonene and γ-terpinene were the main volatile substances detected both in the juices and in the peels, followed by other minority compounds responsible for the phyto-complex of the unique aromas which characterize each individual analyzed Citrus species. Principal component analysis (PCA), performed on volatile compounds, showed both some correlation as well as a clear separation between the juice and the peel of each species. Among them, Oni Yuzu juice was found to be the richest in total polyphenols and flavonoids while its capacity to scavenge ABTS•+ and DPPH• radicals was similar to that of Yuzu Jeune and Bizzarria orange.

Highlights

Fruits are one of the main food products of the world and citrus fruits certainly represent the largest portion [1]
From Italy, C. aurantium ‘Bizzarria’ (Bizzarria orange) is a variety with Tuscan origins, part of the Medici collections, described for the first time in 1664 and rediscovered near Florence in the early 1900s. It is a periclinal chimera, a rare and very particular hybrid obtained from the cross between C. × aurantium L. and C. limon (L.) Osbeck
Folin–Ciocalteau’s phenol reagent, 2,2-diphenyl-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH), 2,21-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), saturated sodium carbonate, aluminum chloride, potassium acetate, potassium persulfate, 6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethychroman-2carboxylic acid (Trolox), gallic acid and quercetin as well as ethanol and methanol were obtained from Sigma-Aldrich (Milan, Italy)

Summary

Introduction

Fruits are one of the main food products of the world and citrus fruits certainly represent the largest portion [1]. The fruit resembles a large (around 20 cm in diameter) lumpy yellow citron with a thick and wrinkled peel but of good flavor and rich in essential oils It may contain very few or no seeds, and the acidic pulp is dry rather than juicy. From Italy, C. aurantium ‘Bizzarria’ (Bizzarria orange) is a variety with Tuscan origins, part of the Medici collections, described for the first time in 1664 and rediscovered near Florence in the early 1900s. It is a periclinal chimera, a rare and very particular hybrid obtained from the cross between C. The pulp is juicy, acidic and delicate while the peel is golden-yellow in color and thick and wrinkled [8]

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