Phytochemical Analysis and Bioactivity of Citrus Derivatives
Summary
Citrus fruits and their by-products are rich sources of secondary metabolites, notably flavonoids, polymethoxyflavones, coumarins and volatile terpenes. Advances in chromatographic and mass-spectrometric techniques, including high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS), have enabled the comprehensive characterisation of these complex matrices. Key classes of compounds such as hesperidin, naringin, nobiletin and tangeretin contribute to potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and metabolic regulatory activities. In addition, volatile oils dominated by d-limonene, γ-terpinene and linalool underpin flavour, aroma and further bioactivity. Phytochemical profiling supports quality control, authentication of cultivars and optimisation of extraction methods for nutraceutical and pharmaceutical applications. Recent studies have also begun to elucidate the impact of post-harvest factors, such as storage duration, on chemical composition and biological efficacy, underlining the importance of integrative metabolomics and multibioassay approaches in harnessing citrus derivatives for health-promoting products.
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Phytochemical Analysis and Bioactivity of Citrus Derivatives publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in phytochemical analysis and bioactivity of citrus derivatives across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
HPLC-Q-TOF-MS: Analytical technique coupling liquid chromatography with high-resolution quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry for precise identification and quantification of complex phytochemical mixtures.
LC-MS metabolomics: Comprehensive profiling of metabolites in biological samples using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry to detect chemical changes under varying conditions.
GC-MS: Method combining gas chromatography separation with mass spectrometric detection, optimised for volatile and semi-volatile compound analysis.
Polymethoxyflavones: Subclass of flavonoids bearing multiple methoxy substitutions, abundant in citrus peels and associated with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
Multibioassay analysis: Integrated suite of in vitro assays to evaluate biological properties such as antioxidant activity, enzyme inhibition and antimicrobial effects.
References
- Chemical Variation of Chenpi (Citrus Peels) and Corresponding Correlated Bioactive Compounds by LC-MS Metabolomics and Multibioassay Analysis. Frontiers in Nutrition (2022).
- Systematic Detection and Identification of Bioactive Ingredients from Citrus aurantium L. var. amara Using HPLC-Q-TOF-MS Combined with a Screening Method. Molecules (2020).
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