Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XXVII, Issue 2
Written by Ilir LLOHA, Enkeleda BERBERI, Ervin SHISHMANI
Statistical Office of the European Communities (Eurostat) ranks Albania sixth in Europe for fresh orange production in 2018, and the mandarin production was greater than the global and EU average yields, indicating a high-performing subsector. It is essential to examine the chemical composition of citrus fruits cultivated in Albania to fully benefit from their advantages, which was the motivation for this research. This study comprised four different groupings of citrus species (C. sinensis, C. limon, C. reticulata and C. paradisi) harvested in south Albania region. Among others, total polyphenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), vitamin C content (VCC), and antioxidant activity were the focus of our analyses. SPSS and Sigma Plot statistical programs were used to analyse the data. The percentages of different biochemical components varied not only across species, but also between different citrus fruit tissues (Sigma Plot, ANOVA- Tukey test, p<0.05). Citrus paradise shows clearly a significantly high TPC compared to other citrus species. Our findings indicate the presence of a significant amount of bioactive compounds in citrus peel and pulp, making them ideal candidates for use in antioxidant-rich diets and the pharmaceutical industry.
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