Chemical Compositions and Antioxidant Activities of Essential Oils, and Their Combinations, Obtained from Flavedo By-Product of Seven Cultivars of Sicilian Citrus aurantium L.

In this work, seven Citrus aurantium essential oils (EOs) derived from flavedo of cultivars 'Canaliculata', 'Consolei', 'Crispifolia', 'Fasciata', 'Foetifera', 'Listata', and 'Bizzaria' were investigated. EOs were also combined in 1:1 (v/v) ratio to identify possible synergism or antagonism of actions. GC-MS analysis was done to investigate Eos' phytochemical profiles. The antioxidant activity was studied by using a multi-target approach based on FRAP, DPPH, ABTS, and ß-carotene bleaching tests. A great difference was observed in EOs' phytochemical profiles. d-limonene (33.35-89.17%) was the main monoterpene hydrocarbon, and α-Pinene, ß-myrcene, and ß-linalool were identified in almost all samples. Among EOs, only C3 showed high quantitative and qualitative variability in its chemical composition. The chemical diversity of EOs was also demonstrated by PCA and HCA statistical analysis. Samples C2, C4, C5, C6, and C7 were statistically similar to each other, while C1 and C3 were characterized as having a different amount of other compounds and oxygenated monoterpenes, respectively, with respect to the other EOs mentioned. The global antioxidant score (GAS) revealed that among the tested EOs, C. aurantium 'Fasciata' EO had the highest antioxidant potential, with a GAS value of -0.47, whereas among combinations, the EO obtained by mixing 'Canaliculata' + 'Bizzaria' was the most active. Comparison by theoretical and real data on inhibitory concentration (IC50) and FRAP values did not reveal any significant effect of synergism or antagonism of actions to be valid in all biological applied tests. These findings, considered together, represent an important starting point to understand which compounds are responsible for the activities and their future possible industrial application.

Dietary and bioactive properties of the berries and leaves from the underutilized Hippophae salicifolia D. Don grown in Northeast India.

The physico-chemical, polyphenols, antioxidant and antibacterial properties of berries and mixture of male and female leaves of Hippophae salicifolia were investigated. The mineral, vitamin C, sugar, total protein, and total tannin contents of the berries and the leaves were evaluated. Further, the extracts of berries and mixture of leaves samples obtained by successive solvent extraction were investigated for their polyphenols, antioxidant and antibacterial properties. Total phenolic content was highest in leaves-methanol extract (157.97 ± 2.09 mg GAE/g) followed by berries-aqueous extract (48.45 ± 1.94 mg GAE/g), while total flavonoid was predominant in leaves-acetone extract (75.64 ± 3.21 mg QE/g) and berries-methanol extract (28.93 ± 2.08 mg QE/g). Gallic acid, caffeic acid, and rutin were the major polyphenols confirmed by HPLC analysis. Berries-aqueous and leaves-methanol extracts showed excellent global antioxidant score. Best antibacterial activity was observed by methanol extracts against eight different strains. Overall, the leaves and berries of Hippophae salicifolia collected from Northeast India exhibited good antioxidant and antibacterial activity and can be utilized by food and pharmaceutical sectors. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10068-021-00988-8.