Chemical composition and biological effects of Citrus aurantium var. dulce essential oil

Abstract

Citrus aurantium var. dulce (sweet orange) belongs to one of the largest genera of the Rutaceae family. The species of this genus are consumed worldwide fresh or in form of beverages. They include well-known crops lemons, oranges, mandarins, grapefruits, and limes. Essential oils (EOs) obtained from this species have great economic value since they are mainly produced from the peel of the crops, which are considered waste during their industrial processing. Considering, the aim of this study was to evaluate the chemical composition of the essential oil (EO) obtained from the peel of Citrus aurantium var. dulce, as well as to assess the biological eff ects by the means of antioxidant and antibacterial activity. Chemical composition analysis performed using GC and GC/MS analysis revealed that this EO is a rich source of limonene presented in this sample in the amount of 93.86% of the total. Obtained results of antioxidant testing indicate better inhibition of ABTS•+ (68.32 ±3.54%) compared to the DPPH• (8.60 ±1.52%). Moreover, the results of the antimicrobial assessment using the disc diff usion method displayed almost no inhibition power of this essential oil towards G- bacteria and yeast strains, while towards G+ bacterial strains weak inhibition was observed.