%0 Journal Article
%A Gómez Mejía, Esther
%A Dias,  Maria Inês
%A Pereira, Carla
%A Pires, Tânia C.S.P.
%A Pala Paul, Jesús
%A Rosales Conrado, Noelia
%A León González, María Eugenia de
%A Calhelha, Ricardo
%A Roriz, Custódio Lobo
%T A biorefinery approach for the simultaneous obtention of essential oils, organic acids and polyphenols from citrus peels: Phytochemical characterization and bioactive potential
%D 2025
%U https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/121251
%X This investigation evaluates the valorization of citrus peels (lemon, tangerine, and orange) to recover both on polar and polar fractions simultaneously. Citrus essential oils, abundant in limonene (74.4–33.7 %), exhibited great antioxidant activity (IC50 = 2.002 mg/mL) and Campylobacter jejuni halo inhibition (2.9 cm), particularly in tangerine and orange essential oils. The aqueous extracts were rich in quinic and malic acid (10–78.8 g/100 g), along with polyphenols (22.7–5.2 mg/g), such as diosmetin, luteolin, and eriodictyol glycosides. Tangerine’s aqueous fraction showed the highest inhibition of oxidative hemolysis (IC50 = 102 μg/mL) and Staphylococcus aureus (MIC = 2.5 mg/mL). Whereas lemon was most effective against lipid peroxidation (IC50 = 1.33 mg/mL) and gastric adenocarcinoma proliferation (IG50 = 83 μg/mL). Principal component analysis correlated the in vitro bioactivities with each compound and citrus type, underscoring the potential of citrus peels as a costeffective, sustainable source of value-added compounds with tailored commercial applications.
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