Flavonoid distribution in neglected Citrus species grown in the Mediterranean basin

Fresh fruit consumption has been traditionally associated to good health and disease prevention. Citrus fruits and juices are among the richest dietary sources of health-promoting compounds and, as a consequence, there is a growing interest in investigating the qualitative and quantitative composition of such products, in light of a better exploitation of these readily available natural sources of nutraceuticals. In the Mediterranean basin, beyond the mainstream orange, lemon, tangerine and grapefruit, a wide variety of less-known Citrus species are grown in significant amount and used for different applications, but the composition and properties of their juices have not been fully studied. In recent years, reverse phase HPLC coupled with DAD and ESI-MS-MS detection has been shown to be an excellent tool for the elucidation of the phenolic composition of plant material and, in particular, of Citrus-derived products. The present survey will focus on some of these less-known Citrus species grown in the Mediterranean area. The flavonoid and furocoumarin distribution in crude juices from C. bergamia, C. aurantium, C. myrtifolia, C. japonica and C. limetta, obtained by means of the HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS-MS detailed above, will be reviewed and discussed, along with a comparative analysis of their in vitro antioxidant abilities.