Chen Min-Hung, Yang Kai-Min, Huang Tzou-Chi, Wu Mei-Li
Department of Food Science, National Pingtung University of Science & Technology, Pingtung 90090, Taiwan.
Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, National Chung Hsing University, 250 Kuokuang Road, Taichung 40227, Taiwan.
Medicines (Basel). 2017 May 8;4(2):28. doi: 10.3390/medicines4020028.
The calamondin ( Bunge) and the kumquat ( Swingle) are two small-size citrus fruits that have traditionally been consumed in Taiwan; however, there has been a lack of scientific research regarding the active compounds and functionalities of these fruits. Analysis of volatile composition of essential oil and phytosterol was carried out using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Flavonoid and limonoid were analyzed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Moreover, antioxidant capacity from their essential oils and extracts were assessed in vitro. The compositions of the essential oils of both fruits were identified, with the results showing that the calamondin and kumquat contain identified 43 and 44 volatile compounds, respectively. In addition, oxygenated compounds of volatiles accounted for 4.25% and 2.04%, respectively, consistent with the fact that oxygenated compounds are generally found in high content in citrus fruits. In terms of flavonoids, the calamondin exhibited higher content than the kumquat, with disomin-based flavonoids being predominant; on the other hand, phytosterol content of kumquat was higher than that of calamondin, with amyrin being the dominant phytosterol. Both of them contain high amounts of limonoids. The ethanol extracts and essential oils of small-sized citrus fruits have been shown to have antioxidant effects, with those effects being closely related to the flavonoid content of the fruit in question. The present study also reviewed antioxidant activity in terms of specific bioactive compounds in order to find the underlying biological activity of both fruits. The calamondin and kumquat have antioxidant effects, which are in turn very important for the prevention of chronic diseases.
四季橘（Bunge）和金橘（Swingle）是台湾地区传统食用的两种小型柑橘类水果；然而，关于这些水果的活性成分和功能，目前缺乏科学研究。采用气相色谱 - 质谱联用仪（GC - MS）对精油和植物甾醇的挥发性成分进行分析。通过高效液相色谱法（HPLC）分析黄酮类化合物和柠檬苦素。此外，还对它们的精油和提取物的抗氧化能力进行了体外评估。鉴定了两种水果精油的成分，结果表明四季橘和金橘分别含有43种和44种已鉴定的挥发性化合物。此外，挥发性含氧化合物分别占4.25%和2.04%，这与柑橘类水果中含氧化合物通常含量较高的事实相符。在黄酮类化合物方面，四季橘的含量高于金橘，以二氢黄酮类为主；另一方面，金橘的植物甾醇含量高于四季橘，以羽扇豆醇为主。它们都含有大量的柠檬苦素。小型柑橘类水果的乙醇提取物和精油已被证明具有抗氧化作用，这些作用与相关水果的黄酮类化合物含量密切相关。本研究还根据特定生物活性化合物对抗氧化活性进行了综述，以发现两种水果潜在的生物活性。四季橘和金橘具有抗氧化作用，这对预防慢性病非常重要。
