Antioxidant Effects of Essential Oils from the Peels of Citrus Cultivars

Essential oils from citrus cultivars are widely used in food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries, and they have been extensively studied in the last decades. This study investigates the antioxidant activities of essential oils from 21 citrus cultivars and the active antioxidant constituents of...

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Main Authors: Jiyoon Yang, Mi-Jin Park
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Molecules
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/4/833
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author Jiyoon Yang
Mi-Jin Park
author_facet Jiyoon Yang
Mi-Jin Park
author_sort Jiyoon Yang
collection DOAJ
description Essential oils from citrus cultivars are widely used in food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries, and they have been extensively studied in the last decades. This study investigates the antioxidant activities of essential oils from 21 citrus cultivars and the active antioxidant constituents of the oils. Essential oils are extracted from the peels of citrus cultivars via hydrodistillation, and their chemical compositions are analyzed by gas-chromatography–mass-spectroscopy. The antioxidant activities of the citrus cultivars are determined using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), and ferric-reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP) assays. Based on the results, the major constituent of the oils is d-limonene (50.88–97.19%). The essential oil from <i>Citrus junos</i> shows the highest phenolic content (360.04 ± 24.75 mg GAE/100 g), followed by that from <i>Citrus</i> × <i>latifolia</i> (339.42 ± 31.14 mg GAE/100 g), [(<i>Citrus unshiu</i> × <i>Citrus sinensis</i>) × <i>Citrus reticulata</i>] × <i>Citrus reticulata</i> (327.05 ± 14.29 mg GAE/100 g), and [(<i>Citrus unshiu</i> × <i>Citrus sinensis</i>) × <i>Citrus reticulata</i>] × <i>Citrus reticulata</i> (322.92 ± 21.43 mg GAE/100 g). The essential oil from [(<i>Citrus unshiu</i> × <i>Citrus sinensis</i>) × <i>Citrus reticulata</i>] × <i>Citrus reticulata</i> shows the highest DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity, with an EC<sub>50</sub> of 86.17 ± 4.87 and 0.16 ± 0.06 mg/mL, respectively. The essential oil from <i>Citrus reticulata</i> and [(<i>Citrus unshiu</i> × <i>Citrus sinensis</i>) × <i>Citrus reticulata</i>] × <i>Citrus reticulata</i> shows the highest ferric-reducing activities (2302.55 ± 237.26 and 2213.12 ± 35.54 mg/100 g, respectively). These results indicate that the essential oil from [(<i>Citrus unshiu</i> × <i>Citrus sinensis</i>) × <i>Citrus reticulata</i>] × <i>Citrus reticulata</i> has a higher antioxidation effect than that from other cultivars. By comparing the chemical compositions of the essential oils, 12 compounds are selected as the major contributors to the antioxidant activities of the oils, and α-phellandrene and α-terpinene are the most active constituents of the oils.
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spelling doaj-art-304049fe5a7449ee8b750cc51c8c19392025-08-20T03:12:09ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492025-02-0130483310.3390/molecules30040833Antioxidant Effects of Essential Oils from the Peels of Citrus CultivarsJiyoon Yang0Mi-Jin Park1Division of Wood Industry, Department of Forest Products and Industry, National Institute of Forest Science, Seoul 02455, Republic of KoreaDivision of Forest Industrial Materials, Department of Forest Products and Industry, National Institute of Forest Science, Seoul 02455, Republic of KoreaEssential oils from citrus cultivars are widely used in food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries, and they have been extensively studied in the last decades. This study investigates the antioxidant activities of essential oils from 21 citrus cultivars and the active antioxidant constituents of the oils. Essential oils are extracted from the peels of citrus cultivars via hydrodistillation, and their chemical compositions are analyzed by gas-chromatography–mass-spectroscopy. The antioxidant activities of the citrus cultivars are determined using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), and ferric-reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP) assays. Based on the results, the major constituent of the oils is d-limonene (50.88–97.19%). The essential oil from <i>Citrus junos</i> shows the highest phenolic content (360.04 ± 24.75 mg GAE/100 g), followed by that from <i>Citrus</i> × <i>latifolia</i> (339.42 ± 31.14 mg GAE/100 g), [(<i>Citrus unshiu</i> × <i>Citrus sinensis</i>) × <i>Citrus reticulata</i>] × <i>Citrus reticulata</i> (327.05 ± 14.29 mg GAE/100 g), and [(<i>Citrus unshiu</i> × <i>Citrus sinensis</i>) × <i>Citrus reticulata</i>] × <i>Citrus reticulata</i> (322.92 ± 21.43 mg GAE/100 g). The essential oil from [(<i>Citrus unshiu</i> × <i>Citrus sinensis</i>) × <i>Citrus reticulata</i>] × <i>Citrus reticulata</i> shows the highest DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity, with an EC<sub>50</sub> of 86.17 ± 4.87 and 0.16 ± 0.06 mg/mL, respectively. The essential oil from <i>Citrus reticulata</i> and [(<i>Citrus unshiu</i> × <i>Citrus sinensis</i>) × <i>Citrus reticulata</i>] × <i>Citrus reticulata</i> shows the highest ferric-reducing activities (2302.55 ± 237.26 and 2213.12 ± 35.54 mg/100 g, respectively). These results indicate that the essential oil from [(<i>Citrus unshiu</i> × <i>Citrus sinensis</i>) × <i>Citrus reticulata</i>] × <i>Citrus reticulata</i> has a higher antioxidation effect than that from other cultivars. By comparing the chemical compositions of the essential oils, 12 compounds are selected as the major contributors to the antioxidant activities of the oils, and α-phellandrene and α-terpinene are the most active constituents of the oils.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/4/833citrusessential oilantioxidationterpeneactive compound
spellingShingle Jiyoon Yang
Mi-Jin Park
Antioxidant Effects of Essential Oils from the Peels of Citrus Cultivars
Molecules
citrus
essential oil
antioxidation
terpene
active compound
title Antioxidant Effects of Essential Oils from the Peels of Citrus Cultivars
title_full Antioxidant Effects of Essential Oils from the Peels of Citrus Cultivars
title_fullStr Antioxidant Effects of Essential Oils from the Peels of Citrus Cultivars
title_full_unstemmed Antioxidant Effects of Essential Oils from the Peels of Citrus Cultivars
title_short Antioxidant Effects of Essential Oils from the Peels of Citrus Cultivars
title_sort antioxidant effects of essential oils from the peels of citrus cultivars
topic citrus
essential oil
antioxidation
terpene
active compound
url https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/4/833
work_keys_str_mv AT jiyoonyang antioxidanteffectsofessentialoilsfromthepeelsofcitruscultivars
AT mijinpark antioxidanteffectsofessentialoilsfromthepeelsofcitruscultivars