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Volume 14
Issue 23
10.3390/foods14233997
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

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

by
Antonella Smeriglio
1,*,
Annarita La Neve
1,
Marta Mangano
1,
Martina Imbesi
1,
Laura Cornara
2 and
Domenico Trombetta
1
1
Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno d’Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
2
Department of Earth, Environment and Life Sciences (DISTAV), University of Genova, Corso Europa 26, 16132 Genova, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Foods 2025, 14(23), 3997; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14233997
Submission received: 26 October 2025 / Revised: 16 November 2025 / Accepted: 19 November 2025 / Published: 21 November 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Compounds in Fruits and Vegetables)
Versions Notes

Abstract

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.
Keywords: Citrus lumia; juice; polyphenols; antioxidant activity; anti-inflammatory activity; wound-healing activity; ascorbic acid; citric acid; functional foods; mediterranean biodiversity Citrus lumia; juice; polyphenols; antioxidant activity; anti-inflammatory activity; wound-healing activity; ascorbic acid; citric acid; functional foods; mediterranean biodiversity

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MDPI and ACS Style

Smeriglio, A.; La Neve, A.; Mangano, M.; Imbesi, M.; Cornara, L.; Trombetta, D. Rediscovering Citrus lumia ‘Pyriformis’: Phytochemical Profile and Multifunctional Properties of Its Fresh Juice. Foods 2025, 14, 3997. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14233997

AMA Style

Smeriglio A, La Neve A, Mangano M, Imbesi M, Cornara L, Trombetta D. Rediscovering Citrus lumia ‘Pyriformis’: Phytochemical Profile and Multifunctional Properties of Its Fresh Juice. Foods. 2025; 14(23):3997. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14233997

Chicago/Turabian Style

Smeriglio, Antonella, Annarita La Neve, Marta Mangano, Martina Imbesi, Laura Cornara, and Domenico Trombetta. 2025. "Rediscovering Citrus lumia ‘Pyriformis’: Phytochemical Profile and Multifunctional Properties of Its Fresh Juice" Foods 14, no. 23: 3997. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14233997

APA Style

Smeriglio, A., La Neve, A., Mangano, M., Imbesi, M., Cornara, L., & Trombetta, D. (2025). Rediscovering Citrus lumia ‘Pyriformis’: Phytochemical Profile and Multifunctional Properties of Its Fresh Juice. Foods, 14(23), 3997. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14233997

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