Abstract
After a brief overview of the general production, market value, and uses of citrus by-products, this literature review will focus on the most highly refined “pharmaceutical grade” citrus oils and antioxidants that have been derived from peels or other fruit parts. Citrus oils have been used as a part of the perfume industry and in the practice of alternative medicine for a long time, but now there is a great deal of mainstream food processing and drug industry interest in them owing to the rediscovery or confirmation of some of their beneficial properties, as well their development for entirely new applications. Their roles as antimicrobial, immunomodulatory, and cancer chemopreventive or chemotherapeutic agents appear promising.
KEYTERMS:
- α-pinene
- antibiotics
- antioxidants
- auraptene
- bergamot essential oils
- cancer chemoprevention
- cancer chemotherapy
- citral
- citronellal
- citrus by-products
- citrus essential oils
- citrus peel
- d-limonene
- flavones
- flavonoids
- food protection
- food spoilage
- functional foods
- grapefruit essential oils
- hesperidin
- lemon essential oils
- lime essential oils
- limonoids
- linalool
- naringenin
- neral
- nutraceuticals
- orange essential oils
- polyphenols
- quercetin
- tangeretin
- tangerine essential oils
Ms. Hardin and Dr. Crandall gratefully acknowledge the USDA-NRI grant (2007-35201-18380) which helped support their research.