The Chemical Variability, Nutraceutical Value, and Food-Industry and Cosmetic Applications of Citrus Plants: A Critical Review

Anis Ben Hsouna; Carmen Sadaka; Ivana Generalić Mekinić; Stefania Garzoli; Jaroslava Švarc-Gajić; Francisca Rodrigues; Simone Morais; Manuela M Moreira; Eduarda Ferreira; Giorgia Spigno; Tanja Brezo-Borjan; Boutheina Ben Akacha; Rania Ben Saad; Cristina Delerue-Matos; Wissem Mnif

doi:10.3390/antiox12020481

The Chemical Variability, Nutraceutical Value, and Food-Industry and Cosmetic Applications of Citrus Plants: A Critical Review

Antioxidants (Basel). 2023 Feb 14;12(2):481. doi: 10.3390/antiox12020481.

Authors

Anis Ben Hsouna^{1

2}, Carmen Sadaka³, Ivana Generalić Mekinić⁴, Stefania Garzoli⁵, Jaroslava Švarc-Gajić⁶, Francisca Rodrigues⁷, Simone Morais⁷, Manuela M Moreira⁷, Eduarda Ferreira⁷, Giorgia Spigno⁸, Tanja Brezo-Borjan⁶, Boutheina Ben Akacha¹, Rania Ben Saad¹, Cristina Delerue-Matos⁷, Wissem Mnif⁹

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Biotechnology and Plant Improvement, Centre of Biotechnology of Sfax, B.P "1177", Sfax 3018, Tunisia.
² Department of Environmental Sciences and Nutrition, Higher Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology of Mahdia, University of Monastir, Monastir 5000, Tunisia.
³ Madison, WI 53704, USA.
⁴ Department of Food Technology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry and Technology, University of Split, R. Boškovića 35, HR-21000 Split, Croatia.
⁵ Department of Chemistry and Technologies of Drug, Sapienza University, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy.
⁶ Faculty of Technology, University of Novi Sad, Bulevar Cara Lazara 1, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia.
⁷ REQUIMTE-LAQV, Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto, Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 431, 4249-015 Porto, Portugal.
⁸ DiSTAS, Department for Sustainable Food Process, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 29122 Piacenza, Italy.
⁹ Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences at Bisha, University of Bisha, P.O. Box 199, Bisha 61922, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Citrus fruits occupy an important position in the context of the fruit trade, considering that both fresh fruits and processed products are produced on a large scale. Citrus fruits are recognized as an essential component of the human diet, thanks to their high content of beneficial nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, terpenes, flavonoids, coumarins and dietary fibers. Among these, a wide range of positive biological activities are attributed to terpenes and flavonoids derivatives. In this review, a list of bibliographic reports (from 2015 onwards) on the phytochemical composition, beneficial effects and potential applications of citrus fruits and their by-products is systematically summarized. In detail, information regarding the nutraceutical and medicinal value closely linked to the presence of numerous bioactive metabolites and their growing use in the food industry and food packaging, also considering any technological strategies such as encapsulation to guarantee their stability over time, were evaluated. In addition, since citrus fruit, as well as its by-products, are interesting alternatives for the reformulation of natural cosmetic products, the sector of the cosmetic industry is also explored. More in-depth knowledge of the latest information in this field will contribute to future conscious use of citrus fruits.

Keywords: Citrus; chemical composition; industrial applications; nutraceutical values; orange peels.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

This research was co-funded by the projects UIDB/50006/2020, UIDP/50006/2020, and LA/P/0008/2020, all supported by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)/Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior (MCTES). The authors extend their appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at University of Bisha for funding this research through the general research project under grant number (UB-GRP-66-1444). Part of the research has received funding from Ecosystem for Sustainable Transition in Emilia-Romagna”, project funded by European Union under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 04 Component 2 Investment 1.5—NextGenerationEU, Call for tender n. 3277 dated 30/12/2021, Award Number: 0001052 dated 23/06/2022.