Assessment of Mediterranean <i>Citrus</i> Peel Flavonoids and Their Antioxidant Capacity Using an Innovative UV-Vis Spectrophotometric Approach
Citrus fruits exert various beneficial health effects due to the large amount of polyphenols they contain. Citrus peels, often considered food waste, contain several health-promoting polyphenols. Among these, flavonoids have long been quantified through colorimetric assays which, if not adequately a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Plants |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/12/23/4046 |
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| author | Rosario Mare Roberta Pujia Samantha Maurotti Simona Greco Antonio Cardamone Anna Rita Coppoletta Sonia Bonacci Antonio Procopio Arturo Pujia |
| author_facet | Rosario Mare Roberta Pujia Samantha Maurotti Simona Greco Antonio Cardamone Anna Rita Coppoletta Sonia Bonacci Antonio Procopio Arturo Pujia |
| author_sort | Rosario Mare |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Citrus fruits exert various beneficial health effects due to the large amount of polyphenols they contain. Citrus peels, often considered food waste, contain several health-promoting polyphenols. Among these, flavonoids have long been quantified through colorimetric assays which, if not adequately applied, can lead to conflicting results. Flavonoids possess strong antioxidant properties and can decrease circulating free radicals, thereby reducing oxidative stress phenomena. Quantifying flavonoids and properly estimating their antioxidant capacity allows us to predict plausible beneficial effects of citrus fruits on human health. The aim of this research was to analyze the advantageous phenolic compounds found in the peels of citrus fruits commonly found in the Mediterranean region. The objective was to measure their antioxidant capacity and ability to neutralize free radicals. To achieve this purpose, UV-visible spectrophotometric analyses, liquid chromatography (LC) and Electron Paramagnetic Spectroscopy (EPR) were utilized and compared, finally suggesting an innovative approach for assessing the overall flavonoid content by the nitrite-aluminum assay. HPLC data demonstrated that hesperidin was the most abundant flavonoid in all peel extracts except for orange peels, in which naringin was the predominant flavonoid. The total flavonoid content was greater than 1.3 mg/mL in all extracts, with tangerine and orange yielding the best results. Citrus peel polyphenols exerted strong antioxidant and free radical scavenging effects, inhibiting up to 75% of the free radicals used as reference in the EPR analyses. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T01:44:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7a24a3e3c17f4038a8bb314073f41488 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T01:44:05Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj.art-7a24a3e3c17f4038a8bb314073f414882023-12-08T15:24:01ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472023-11-011223404610.3390/plants12234046Assessment of Mediterranean <i>Citrus</i> Peel Flavonoids and Their Antioxidant Capacity Using an Innovative UV-Vis Spectrophotometric ApproachRosario Mare0Roberta Pujia1Samantha Maurotti2Simona Greco3Antonio Cardamone4Anna Rita Coppoletta5Sonia Bonacci6Antonio Procopio7Arturo Pujia8Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University “Magna Græcia” of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, ItalyDepartment of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University “Magna Græcia” of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, ItalyDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University “Magna Græcia” of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, ItalyDepartment of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University “Magna Græcia” of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, ItalyDepartment of Health Sciences, Institute of Research for Food Safety & Health IRC-FSH, University “Magna Græcia” of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, ItalyDepartment of Health Sciences, Institute of Research for Food Safety & Health IRC-FSH, University “Magna Græcia” of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, ItalyDepartment of Health Sciences, University “Magna Græcia” of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, ItalyDepartment of Health Sciences, University “Magna Græcia” of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, ItalyDepartment of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University “Magna Græcia” of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, ItalyCitrus fruits exert various beneficial health effects due to the large amount of polyphenols they contain. Citrus peels, often considered food waste, contain several health-promoting polyphenols. Among these, flavonoids have long been quantified through colorimetric assays which, if not adequately applied, can lead to conflicting results. Flavonoids possess strong antioxidant properties and can decrease circulating free radicals, thereby reducing oxidative stress phenomena. Quantifying flavonoids and properly estimating their antioxidant capacity allows us to predict plausible beneficial effects of citrus fruits on human health. The aim of this research was to analyze the advantageous phenolic compounds found in the peels of citrus fruits commonly found in the Mediterranean region. The objective was to measure their antioxidant capacity and ability to neutralize free radicals. To achieve this purpose, UV-visible spectrophotometric analyses, liquid chromatography (LC) and Electron Paramagnetic Spectroscopy (EPR) were utilized and compared, finally suggesting an innovative approach for assessing the overall flavonoid content by the nitrite-aluminum assay. HPLC data demonstrated that hesperidin was the most abundant flavonoid in all peel extracts except for orange peels, in which naringin was the predominant flavonoid. The total flavonoid content was greater than 1.3 mg/mL in all extracts, with tangerine and orange yielding the best results. Citrus peel polyphenols exerted strong antioxidant and free radical scavenging effects, inhibiting up to 75% of the free radicals used as reference in the EPR analyses.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/12/23/4046polyphenolsflavonoidscitrusUV-Vis spectrophotometerHPLC-UVElectron Paramagnetic Spectroscopy |
| spellingShingle | Rosario Mare Roberta Pujia Samantha Maurotti Simona Greco Antonio Cardamone Anna Rita Coppoletta Sonia Bonacci Antonio Procopio Arturo Pujia Assessment of Mediterranean <i>Citrus</i> Peel Flavonoids and Their Antioxidant Capacity Using an Innovative UV-Vis Spectrophotometric Approach Plants polyphenols flavonoids citrus UV-Vis spectrophotometer HPLC-UV Electron Paramagnetic Spectroscopy |
| title | Assessment of Mediterranean <i>Citrus</i> Peel Flavonoids and Their Antioxidant Capacity Using an Innovative UV-Vis Spectrophotometric Approach |
| title_full | Assessment of Mediterranean <i>Citrus</i> Peel Flavonoids and Their Antioxidant Capacity Using an Innovative UV-Vis Spectrophotometric Approach |
| title_fullStr | Assessment of Mediterranean <i>Citrus</i> Peel Flavonoids and Their Antioxidant Capacity Using an Innovative UV-Vis Spectrophotometric Approach |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessment of Mediterranean <i>Citrus</i> Peel Flavonoids and Their Antioxidant Capacity Using an Innovative UV-Vis Spectrophotometric Approach |
| title_short | Assessment of Mediterranean <i>Citrus</i> Peel Flavonoids and Their Antioxidant Capacity Using an Innovative UV-Vis Spectrophotometric Approach |
| title_sort | assessment of mediterranean i citrus i peel flavonoids and their antioxidant capacity using an innovative uv vis spectrophotometric approach |
| topic | polyphenols flavonoids citrus UV-Vis spectrophotometer HPLC-UV Electron Paramagnetic Spectroscopy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/12/23/4046 |
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