Limonene concentration in lemon (Citrus volkameriana) peel oil as a function of ripeness

The dependence of the limonene content of lemon (Citrus volkameriana) peel oil on the degree of ripeness of the fruit has been studied by using steam distillation and cold pressing to extract the oils from lemon fruit peel at different stages of maturation (green, greenish-yellow, and yellow-orange peel coloration). Samples of essential oils were analyzed by high resolution GC and GC-MS, using tetradecane as internal standard for quantitation. Forty components were detected; thirty eight were positively identified by comparison of their mass spectra (El, 70 eV) and Kováts retention indexes (determined using a non-logarithmic scale on capillary columns coated with both polar (DB-Wax) and non-polar (DB-1) stationary phases) with those of standards and with data reported in the literature. The limonene concentration reached a maximum level of 79.4% when the fruit was in the intermediate maturation stage characterized by greenish-yellow coloration.     

柑桔果皮中多甲氧基黄酮的LC-APCI-MS定性分析

黄酮化合物是具有多种生物活性的物质,广泛存在于自然界中。单纯为甲氧基取代的多甲氧基黄酮PMF是芸香科多种桔类所特有的,特别是在其果皮中有较高的含量。近年来有关桔皮PMF抗癌的研究取得了很大进展。PMF作为桔皮中的抗癌活性成分,对多种癌细胞有较强的抑制作用,受到国内外的广泛关注。由于桔皮中PMF的主要成分随柑桔种类和产地的不同而有较大差异,所以,筛选含有较强抗癌活性的PMF成分的桔皮种类,是一项非常有意义的工作。文献报道的PMF的分析检测方法主要有液相色谱法、气相色谱-质谱法等。本文利用液相色谱-大气压化学电离化质谱联用技术定性分析了3种柑桔果皮中PMF的主要成分,并结合紫外吸收光谱进一步确证。     

Enantiomeric Separation of Adrenergic Amines in Citrus Species, Related Genera and Dietary Supplements by Capillary Electrophoresis

Citrus aurantium L. (Rutaceae) fruit extracts have recently been used for weight loss. Among the adrenergic amines the most important active constituent is the sympathomimetic compound synephrine and commercially available extracts are standardized for their content of this active principle. A capillary electrophoresis method was developed for the quantitative and qualitative determination of d-synephrine, l-synephrine, d-octopamine, l-octopamine, tyramine, n-methyl tyramine and hordenine. The electrophoretic separation was performed using a 75 cm × 50 µm ID (66.5 cm effective length) fused silica capillary. The samples were injected by pressure for 5s at 50 mbar and the running voltage was 30 kV at the injector end of the capillary. The method developed was successively applied to the determination of the adrenergic amines in dietary supplements, in various Citrus species including Citrus aurantium, jams and juices. Synephrine was the main component and present in the levels from 0.02–0.17% in various Citrus species and 0.42–69.28 mg in dietary supplements claiming to contain Citrus aurantium. Parameters affecting the resolution between (+) and (−)-enantiomers, such as pH, cyclodextrin concentration, temperature, organic modifier, buffer concentration and capillary dimensions were reported.     

Mineral content and botanical origin of Spanish honeys

Eleven elements (Zn, P, B, Mn, Mg, Cu, Ca, Ba, Sr, Na and K) were determined by inductively plasma coupled spectrometry in 40 honey samples from different places of Spain and four different botanical origins: Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus sp.), Heather (Erica sp.), Orange-blossom (Citrus sinensis) and Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis). K, Ca and P show the higher levels with average concentrations ranged between 434.1-1935 mg kg⁻¹ for K; 42.59-341.0 mg kg⁻¹ for Ca and 51.17-154.3 mg kg⁻¹ for P. Levels of Cu (0.531-2.117 mg kg⁻¹), Ba (0.106-1.264 mg kg⁻¹) and Sr (0.257-1.462 mg kg⁻¹) are the lowest in all honey samples. Zn (1.332-7.825 mg kg⁻¹), Mn (0.133-9.471 mg kg⁻¹), Mg (13.26-74.38 mg kg⁻¹) and Na (11.69-218.5 mg kg⁻¹) concentrations were found strongly dependent on the kind of botanical origin.Results were submitted to pattern recognition procedures, unsupervised methods such as cluster and principal components analysis and supervised learning methods like linear discriminant analysis in order to evaluate the existence of data patterns and the possibility of differentiation of Spanish honeys from different botanical origins according to their mineral content. Cluster analysis shows four clusters corresponding to the four botanical origins of honey and PCA explained 71% of the variance with the first two PC variables. The best-grouped honeys were those from heather; eucalyptus honeys formed a more dispersed group and finally orange-blossom and rosemary honeys formed a less distinguishable group.     

Ultra high performance liquid chromatography with ion‐trap TOF‐MS for the fast characterization of flavonoids in Citrus bergamia juice

We have developed a fast ultra HPLC with ion‐trap TOF‐MS method for the analysis of flavonoids in Citrus bergamia juice. With respect to the typical methods for the analysis of these matrices based on conventional HPLC techniques, a tenfold faster separation was attained. The use of a core–shell particle column ensured high resolution within the fast analysis time of only 5 min. Unambiguous determination of flavonoid identity was obtained by the employment of a hybrid ion‐trap TOF mass spectrometer with high mass accuracy (average error 1.69 ppm). The system showed good retention time and peak area repeatability, with maximum RSD% values of 0.36 and 3.86, respectively, as well as good linearity (R² ≥ 0.99). Our results show that ultra HPLC can be a useful tool for ultra fast qualitative/quantitative analysis of flavonoid compounds in citrus fruit juices.     

基于铜纳米簇检测柠檬黄的方法研究EI北大核心CSCD

采用L-半胱氨酸经一步湿化学法合成了稳定的铜纳米簇(CuCNs),优化了其制备条件,分别运用XPS和FTIR对其性能进行表征。CuCNs的荧光能被柠檬黄(LY)淬灭,推测其机理主要来自内滤效应。基于此,该荧光探针能选择检测LY,线性范围和检出限分别为3.33~60.0μmol/L和1.90μmol/L。该方法用于矿泉水和饮料中LY检测,回收率为95.5%~104.4%。     

Chemical Profiling,Toxicity and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Essential Oils from Three Grapefruit Cultivars from KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa

The medicinal potential and volatile composition of different parts of three cultivars of grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) were evaluated for their toxicity and anti-inflammatory activities. Fresh leaf and fruit peel were separately isolated by hydrodistillation for 4 h. The essential oils were subjected to GC/GC-MS analysis for chemical profile. Toxicity of the essential oils in mice were evaluated using Lorke’s method, while an anti-inflammatory assay was performed in a rat model using egg albumin-induced oedema. The oils obtained were light yellow in colour, and odour varied from strong citrus smell to mild. Percentage yield of fresh peel oil (0.34–0.57%) was greater than the fresh leaf oil yield (0.21–0.34%). D-limonene (86.70–89.90%) was the major compound identified in the leaf oil, while β-phellandrene (90.00–91.01%) dominated the peel oil. At a dosage level of 5000 mg/kg, none of the oils showed mortality in mice. An anti-inflammatory bioassay revealed that all the oils caused a significant (p < 0.05–0.01) reduction in oedema size when compared to the negative control group throughout the 5 h post induction assessment period. The study reveals that the oils are non-toxic and demonstrate significant anti-inflammatory activity. Our findings suggest that the leaf and peel oils obtained from waste parts of grapefruit plants can be useful as flavouring agents, as well as anti-inflammatory agents.     

Lemon Oils Attenuate the Pathogenicity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by Quorum Sensing Inhibition

The chemical composition of three Citrus limon oils: lemon essential oil (LEO), lemon terpenes (LT) and lemon essence (LE), and their influence in the virulence factors production and motility (swarming and swimming) of two Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains (ATCC 27853 and a multidrug-resistant HT5) were investigated. The main compound, limonene, was also tested in biological assays. Eighty-four compounds, accounting for a relative peak area of 99.23%, 98.58% and 99.64%, were identified by GC/MS. Limonene (59–60%), γ-terpinene (10–11%) and β-pinene (7–15%) were the main compounds. All lemon oils inhibited specific biofilm production and bacterial metabolic activities into biofilm in a dose-dependent manner (20–65%, in the range of 0.1–4 mg mL⁻¹) of both strains. Besides, all samples inhibited about 50% of the elastase activity at 0.1 mg mL⁻¹. Pyocyanin biosynthesis decreases until 64% (0.1–4 mg mL⁻¹) for both strains. Swarming motility of P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853 was completely inhibited by 2 mg mL⁻¹ of lemon oils. Furthermore, a decrease (29–55%, 0.1–4 mg mL⁻¹) in the synthesis of Quorum sensing (QS) signals was observed. The oils showed higher biological activities than limonene. Hence, their ability to control the biofilm of P. aeruginosa and reduce the production of virulence factors regulated by QS makes lemon oils good candidates to be applied as preservatives in the food processing industry.     

基于柑橘皮渣纳米多孔碳分散固相萃取-气相色谱法 测定果蔬中14种有机磷农药残留

以废弃柑橘皮渣为碳源,通过ZnCl2活化后高温煅烧制备了纳米多孔碳材料(NPC),将其作为吸附剂,建立了分散固相萃取净化、气相色谱法测定果蔬中有机磷农药残留的方法.扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)、傅立叶红外光谱(FT-IR)、拉曼光谱及氮气吸附分析(BET)等表征显示,NPC是无定形的多孔碳材料,孔径大小为0~15 nm,比表面积和孔体积分别为1243 m2/g和1.28 cm3/g.以果蔬中14种有机磷类农药为分析对象,考察了吸附剂的用量和净化时间,并将NPC与商业化材料N-丙基乙二胺(PSA)、十八烷基硅胶键合相(C18)和石墨化碳黑(GCB)进行了对比.结果表明,NPC最佳使用量为0.01 g,净化时间只需2 min.NPC成本远低于C18、PSA和GCB,因具有丰富的孔道结构,NPC净化效果显著优于3种商业化材料.在最优条件下,14种有机磷农药在0.02~1.0 mg/L范围内的线性关系良好(R2>0.99),检出限(S/N=3)为0.63~5.30μg/kg.3个添加水平下的平均回收率为71.3%~114.7%,相对标准偏差(RSD)为0.9%~12.9%.本方法操作简便、快速、成本低,在果蔬样品前处理中具有广阔的应用前景.     

Evaluation of the effects of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus on inoculated citrus plants using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and chemometrics tools

This study investigated the organic and inorganic constituents of healthy leaves and Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas)-inoculated leaves of citrus plants. The bacteria CLas are one of the causal agents of citrus greening (or Huanglongbing) and its effect on citrus leaves was investigated using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) combined with chemometrics. The information obtained from the LIBS spectra profiles with chemometrics analysis was promising for the construction of predictive models to identify healthy and infected plants. The major, macro- and microconstituents were relevant for differentiation of the sample conditions. The models were then applied to different inoculation times (from 1 to 8 months). The models were effective in the classification of 82-97% of the diseased samples with a 95% significance level. The novelty of this method was in the fingerprinting of healthy and diseased plants based on their organic and inorganic contents.