Juice components and antioxidant capacity of citrus varieties cultivated in China

Juices from fifteen citrus varieties (seven mandarins, four sweet oranges, one lemon, one grapefruit, and two pummeloes) of China were investigated mainly on quality parameters, total carotenoid, phenolic compounds (total phenolics, flavanone glycosides (FGs), and phenolic acids), and antioxidant capacity (ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay). Among the fifteen varieties, Bendizao had the highest content of total carotenoid (10.02 mg/L), Satsuma had the highest content of narirutin (288.12 mg/L), Yinzaocheng had the highest content of hesperidin (533.64 mg/L), and Huyou had the highest content of naringin (348.53 mg/L), neohesperidin (265.25 mg/L) and total FGs (746.08 mg/L). As for total phenolic acids, Liubencheng had the highest content (72.61 mg/L). Hybrid 439 achieved the highest AA content (631.25 mg/L), and the highest total phenolics (1555.49 mg/L) and the greatest inhibition of DPPH radical (61.62%). Hamlin had the highest ascorbic acid equivalent antioxidant capacity (AEAC: 899.31 mg/L) determined by FRAP assay. Correlation coefficients of AA, total phenolics (gallic acid equivalent), FRAP (AEAC), DPPH (I%), total FGs and total phenolic acids indicated that AA played a major role for the antioxidant capacity of citrus juices, and phenolics also played an important role, which may be mainly ascribed to FGs, whilst phenolic acids seemed to play a minimal role. Furthermore, Huyou and Hybrid 439 were considered two valuable varieties from the view of antioxidant capacity and nutrition.