Determination of Polyphenols Content and Antioxidant Activity of Citrus sinensis Fruit Peel

Abstract

Citrus fruits have long been qualified as veritable foods in view of the many therapeutic benefits they bring to the body. Several researchers have stud-ied the relationship between the bioactive compounds of Citrus and the health benefits and reduction of the risk of disease. Citrus sinensis, used in the food industry and its extracts have also been used in traditional medicine to activate vital energy, circulation, and weight loss, and appetite control. However, limited efforts have been made on collecting data on antioxidant potential of peels orange from the northern region of Algeria. Our study, therefore, focuses on the evaluation of total polyphenols compounds and in vitro assessment of their antioxidant potential of peels orange from the northern region of Algeria. The ethyl acetate and n-butanolic fractions from peels orange have been tested for their antioxidant activities and their lipid peroxidation inhibiting effects. The total phenolic and flavonoids content showed high levels. The preliminary phytochemical screening of tannins, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, coumarin, and alkaloids was also used. DPPH assay possesses strong potency to scavenge free radicals. The NO. radi-cal scavenging test exerts a good inhibitory effect. Furthermore, orange peels have been shown to suppress the lipid peroxidation of linoleic acid. Results further revealed a strong correlation between antioxidant effects and polyphenolic compounds. The high antioxidant activity of peel orange suggests that it could serve as a good natural antioxidant additive or food dietary supplement.