A Novel Auraptene-Enriched Citrus Peels-Based Blend with Enhanced Antioxidant Activity

The aim of this study was to establish a convenient process to get auraptene-enriched blends from Citrus limon L. Osbeck (Rutaceae) peels powder with functional food and nutraceutical potential and antioxidant properties. The process consisted in the selective adsorption of auraptene by bentonite followed by desorption and evaporation of solvents to get the final product. HPLC analyses revealed an adsorption > 99% from lemon fruit peel powder and a 13.7-fold enrichment of the obtained composition respect to the parent food-derived sample. The antioxidant and radical scavenger activities of the Citrus peels based preparation were assayed by the DPPH and ABTS tests and reveal deffects higher than ascorbic acid and Trolox® used as the references. To the best of our knowledge, the findings described herein is the first example reported in the literature of solid phase adsorption experiments carried out on auraptene as a component of edible fruits.