Grapefruit essential oils contain mixtures of volatile compounds, mostly monoterpenes and some sesquiterpenes, which are responsible for their characteristic flavour. Certain compounds in the oil mixtures are known to possess some biological activities that lend their traits to essential oils. Geographical location, climatic changes, growing conditions, seasonal variation and collection times are factors responsible for chemical composition variations of particular species. They are complex mixtures of volatile components containing several individual compounds. Įssential oils are widely utilized as natural medicinal components of plants. They are sensitive to cold weather and can die off at freezing temperatures. Grapefruits are cultivated in the Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal provinces in South Africa, as they require warmer subtropical environments. Their flesh is acidic, but the redder varieties are the sweetest (”Ruby Red” and ”Rose Pink”). These three varieties of grapefruit have yellow-orange skin, grow up to 5–6 m tall and have dark green leaves that are about 15 cm thick. Interestingly, grapefruits are available in varieties named after its colour variants: “Rose Pink”, “Ruby Red” and “White Marsh”. Grapefruit is commonly used in food and beverages, and in agriculture to kill bacteria and fungus. It is a hybrid between sweet orange ( Citrus sinensis) and pomelo ( Citrus maxima). Grapefruit ( Citrus paradisi) is a subtropical tree that belongs to the Rutaceae family and is known for its sour to semi sweet fruit. Our findings suggest that the leaf and peel oils obtained from waste parts of grapefruit plants can be useful as flavouring agents, as well as anti-inflammatory agents. The study reveals that the oils are non-toxic and demonstrate significant anti-inflammatory activity. An anti-inflammatory bioassay revealed that all the oils caused a significant ( p < 0.05–0.01) reduction in oedema size when compared to the negative control group throughout the 5 h post induction assessment period. At a dosage level of 5000 mg/kg, none of the oils showed mortality in mice. D-limonene (86.70–89.90%) was the major compound identified in the leaf oil, while β-phellandrene (90.00–91.01%) dominated the peel oil. Percentage yield of fresh peel oil (0.34–0.57%) was greater than the fresh leaf oil yield (0.21–0.34%). The oils obtained were light yellow in colour, and odour varied from strong citrus smell to mild. Toxicity of the essential oils in mice were evaluated using Lorke’s method, while an anti-inflammatory assay was performed in a rat model using egg albumin-induced oedema. The essential oils were subjected to GC/GC-MS analysis for chemical profile. Fresh leaf and fruit peel were separately isolated by hydrodistillation for 4 h. The medicinal potential and volatile composition of different parts of three cultivars of grapefruit ( Citrus paradisi) were evaluated for their toxicity and anti-inflammatory activities.
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