Rediscovering Citrus lumia 'Pyriformis': Phytochemical Profile and Multifunctional Properties of Its Fresh Juice

This study provides the first comprehensive chemical and biological profiling of Citrus lumia Risso & Poit. var. 'Pyriformis', a rare Mediterranean Citrus variety with unexplored nutraceutical potential. The fresh juice (CLPJ) showed a distinctive phytochemical composition, with 38.8 ± 0.99 mg gallic acid equivalents/100 mL of total phenols and 25.96 ± 2.37 mg rutin equivalents/100 mL of flavonoids. High-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD) quantification revealed high levels of organic acids, including ascorbic acid (0.34 g/L) and citric acid (34.6 g/L). Liquid chromatography coupled with diode-array detection and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS) enabled the annotation of 28 polyphenolic constituents, featuring glycosylated flavanones and several uncommon flavonols and acylglycosidic derivatives whose structural patterns are typical of primitive Citrus lineages and largely absent in commercial cultivars. Functionally, CLPJ exhibited multi-target antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities and promoted epithelial repair in Caco-2 cells without cytotoxic effects. Overall, the juice displays a distinctive chemotaxonomic fingerprint and promising multifunctional properties, supporting its potential as a functional food ingredient and contributing to the valorization of minor Mediterranean Citrus biodiversity.