Naringin in fruit

Flavonoids are naturally occurring phenolic compounds with a diverse range of bioactivities. Approximately 4000 flavonoids have so far been discovered, mainly from fruits, vegetables, and herbs.

Flavonoids in citrus fruit include flavanones (naringin), flavones (nobiletin), and flavonols (quercetin). Naringin, a flavanone neohesperidoside, and neohesperidin are very bitter, whereas hesperidin is tasteless.

Naringin (with the molecular formula C27H32O14 and a molecular weight of 580.4 g/mol) is responsible for the fruit's bitter taste in citrus fruit especially in grapefruit. It possesses the distinct bitter taste of grapefruit juice. Two rhamnose units are attached to its aglycon portion, naringenin, at the 7-carbon position.

Naringin concentrations are highest in young leaves and in the pulp of immature fruit. Naringin was found to possess strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities both in vitro and in vivo.
Naringin in fruit

Naringenin In Fruit

Citrus plants are rich source of flavonoids such as naringin, naringenin, nobelitin, narirutin, and hesperidin. Flavorless and colorless naringenin is one of the most important naturally-occurring flavonoid, predominantly found in some edible fruits, like Citrus species and tomatoes, and figs belonging to smyrna-type Ficus carica. Naringenin and its glycoside also has been found in herbs such as Greek oregano, water mint as well as beans. Naringenin also found in cocoa and tomatoes.

This widely distributed molecule in insoluble in water and soluble in organic solvents, like alcohol. Among the flavonoids class, naringenin is a flavanone that derives from naringin or narirutin hydrolysis. Naringin being the bond of a neohesperidose and narirutin a rutinoside. Naringin gives a bitter taste in grapefruit and sour orange.

Naringenin was found to display a broad biological effect on human health, which includes a decrease in lipid peroxidation biomarkers and protein carbonylation, promotes carbohydrate metabolism, scavenges reactive oxygen species, modulates immune system activity, and also exerts anti-atherogenic.

Naringenin also has been shown to possess strong anti-inflammatory effects and antioxidant defenses activities in vitro and in vivo.
Naringenin In Fruit