Abstract
Objective: We aimed to evaluate the characterization of thinned immature Citrus unshiu fruits with regard to their phytochemical profile and antioxidant capacity.Methods: Determination of total phenolic, flavonoid, and carotenoid and ascorbic acid contents was done by UV-Visible spectrophotometry, whereas UPLC-mass detection was used for the analysis of individual flavanone (naringin, hesperidin, hesperetin, neohesperedine and narirutin) and flavonol (rutin). In addition, free radicals (DPPH, O2-, H2O2 and NO) scavenging assays were used to determine the antioxidant capacity.Results: Naringin, hesperidine, neohesperedine and narirutin were the main flavanones in all thinned immature Citrus unshiu fruits. The contents of total phenolic, flavonoid and carotenoid were more prevalent in immature fruits than the level found in mature fruits. All thinned immature Citrus unshiu fruits possess an evident antioxidant capacity. The immature Citrus extract concentrations providing 50% inhibition (IC50) for free radicals; 1.2-1.49 mg/ml for DPPH, 1.03-1.46 mg/ml for superoxide, 1.95-3.43 mg/ml for hydrogen peroxide and 1.64-3.45 mg/ml for nitric oxide was lower than those of mature Citrus extracts.Conclusion: Thinned immature Citrus unshiu fruits could be an economic and readily accessible source of natural antioxidants and as a possible food and pharmaceutical supplement.
Highlights
Citrus fruits have an important role in the world economy, with a total production of 122.5 million tons in 2010 [1]
We report here a comparative analysis of the bioactive compounds and in vitro antioxidant properties of the mature Citrus extract and thinned immature Citrus fruits
The total phenolic composition of the methanol extracts of thinned immature and mature Citrus fruits is presented in fig
Summary
Citrus fruits have an important role in the world economy, with a total production of 122.5 million tons in 2010 [1]. Citrus, belonging to the Rutaceae family, grows widely and major fruit crop in Jeju Island, Korea and amount of production is about 600 thousand tons every year. It has been mainly used in Korean folk medicine for its wide range of medicinal benefits. Citrus fruits are rich sources of vitamins, minerals, fibre, and phytochemicals such as carotenoids and flavonoids, which can potentially protect health. These bioactive compounds in Citrus fruits have been shown to be protective against chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease [2]
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