Changes in Lipid Composition and Antioxidant Capacity of Bitter Orange ( Citrus aurantium. L) and Mandarin ( Citrus reticulata. Blanco) Oilseeds on Different Stages of Maturity

Oilseeds from bitter orange and mandarin and its antioxidant activities were investigated in this study. The effects of harvesting times (D1: green color, D2 yellow color, D3: orange color) on the extraction yield of oilseed were studied. The maximum yield of 44% was achieved at D3 (bitter orange). The chemical composition of the oilseed was analyzed by gas chromatography (GC). The main methyl esters were linoleic acid (C18:2, 32–42%), palmitic acid (C16:0, 22–26%)), stearic acid (C18:0, 9.01%) and linolenic acid (C18:3, 4–10%). The antioxidant activity of oilseed was assessed by means of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging assay and β-carotene bleaching test. Both methods demonstrated notable antioxidant activities of bitter orange and mandarin oilseeds, which is nearly comparable to the references ascorbic acid and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). The antioxidant activities of the oilseeds were also found to be harvesting time-dependent.