Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Jan 26;11(2):239.
doi: 10.3390/antiox11020239.

Bioactive Compounds of Citrus Fruits: A Review of Composition and Health Benefits of Carotenoids, Flavonoids, Limonoids, and Terpenes

Ramesh Kumar Saini  1 , Arina Ranjit  2 , Kavita Sharma  2 , Parchuri Prasad  3 , Xiaomin Shang  4 , Karekal Girinur Mallikarjuna Gowda  5 , Young-Soo Keum  1
Affiliations
Review

Bioactive Compounds of Citrus Fruits: A Review of Composition and Health Benefits of Carotenoids, Flavonoids, Limonoids, and Terpenes

Ramesh Kumar Saini et al. Antioxidants (Basel). .

Abstract

The increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains contributes to the reduced risk of many diseases related to metabolic syndrome, including neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, and cancer. Citrus, the genus Citrus L., is one of the most important fruit crops, rich in carotenoids, flavonoids, terpenes, limonoids, and many other bioactive compounds of nutritional and nutraceutical value. Moreover, polymethoxylated flavones (PMFs), a unique class of bioactive flavonoids, abundantly occur in citrus fruits. In addition, citrus essential oil, rich in limonoids and terpenes, is an economically important product due to its potent antioxidant, antimicrobial, and flavoring properties. Mechanistic, observational, and intervention studies have demonstrated the health benefits of citrus bioactives in minimizing the risk of metabolic syndrome. This review provides a comprehensive view of the composition of carotenoids, flavonoids, terpenes, and limonoids of citrus fruits and their associated health benefits.

Keywords: cardiovascular disease (CVD); essential oil; limonene; mandarin; metabolic syndrome; neurodegenerative diseases; nobiletin; orange; polymethoxylated flavones (PMFs); β-citraurin.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The major flavonoids of citrus fruits.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The major carotenoids and apocarotenoids of citrus fruits.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The major bioactive compounds (terpenes and limonoids) of citrus essential oil.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Lapuente M., Estruch R., Shahbaz M., Casas R. Relation of Fruits and Vegetables with Major Cardiometabolic Risk Factors, Markers of Oxidation, and Inflammation. Nutrients. 2019;11:2381. doi: 10.3390/nu11102381. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Medina-Remón A., Kirwan R., Lamuela-Raventós R.M., Estruch R. Dietary patterns and the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, asthma, and neurodegenerative diseases. Crit. Rev. Food Sci. Nutr. 2018;58:262–296. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2016.1158690. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Zou Z., Xi W., Hu Y., Nie C., Zhou Z. Antioxidant activity of Citrus fruits. Food Chem. 2016;196:885–896. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2015.09.072. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Wu G.A., Terol J., Ibanez V., Lopez-Garcia A., Perez-Roman E., Borreda C., Domingo C., Tadeo F.R., Carbonell-Caballero J., Alonso R., et al. Genomics of the origin and evolution of Citrus. Nature. 2018;554:311–316. doi: 10.1038/nature25447. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Lu X., Zhao C., Shi H., Liao Y., Xu F., Du H., Xiao H., Zheng J. Nutrients and bioactives in citrus fruits: Different citrus varieties, fruit parts, and growth stages. Crit. Rev. Food Sci. Nutr. 2021:1–24. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2021.1969891. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources