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Variation in limonin and nomilin content in citrus fruits of eight varieties determined by modified HPLC

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Abstract

The nomilin and limonin content in citrus fruits of different varieties was determined at fruit growth and maturation stages by HPLC. The results showed that the two limonoids can be separated, identified, and quantified in citrus fruits within 10 min by the developed method. The method exhibited good precision, repeatability, stability, and recovery rate. The content of limonin and nomilin in most citrus fruits presented an increasing trend initially, and then decreased during fruit growth and maturation; a peak was observed at the young fruit or fruit expansion stage. The dropped fruits also contained some amount of limonoids, suggesting their industrial application. The variation and cluster analyses results revealed that the orange varieties contained the highest amount of limonoids at the mature stage. The results of this study will enable better use of citrus limonoids.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Foundation of the Science and Technology Department of Sichuan Province, China (2011NZ0034), the Foundation of Education Department of Sichuan Province, China (2013SZX0054). The authors would like to thank all the members who have helped a lot in the process of experiment.

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Correspondence to Zhihui Wang.

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Huang, S., Liu, X., Xiong, B. et al. Variation in limonin and nomilin content in citrus fruits of eight varieties determined by modified HPLC. Food Sci Biotechnol 28, 641–647 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10068-018-0509-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10068-018-0509-8

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