The Effect of Mandarin Scions (Citrus spp.) on the Peel and Pulp Phenolic Compounds

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of mandarin scions on total flavonoids and individual flavanones as well as antioxidant capacity in peel and pulp of fruits. Total flavonoids and total phenols content was measured using aluminum chloride colorimetric and Folin-Ciocalteau colorimetric method respectively. Assay of DPPH radical scavenging was used to evaluate antioxidant activities. Individual flavanones (narirutin, naringin and hesperidin) detected and analyzed using HPLC-PDA. Among the flavonones, hesperidin was determined in the highest concentration in all investigated samples. Level of flavanones (25.05 mg/g DW) and total flavonoids (10 mg/g DW) in peel of Satsuma mandarin and the amount of phenolic acids (1.17 mg/g DW) in peel of Younesi tangerine was higher than other scions. The results of correlation showed that there was a high positive correlation between the amount of total flavonoids and hesperidin. The results of this study showed useful information on functional and phytochemical compounds in mandarin cultivars that can be used in pharmaceutical industry and provide valuable genetic resources for breeding programs.