Eco-friendly extraction medthod using α -, β -, and φ-cyclodex-trins for naringin, naringenin, and narirutin solubilization from Citrus x paradasi L. fruit parts

Abstract

Background: Flavonoids have become popular as an alternative and complementary medical treatment. However, the common solvents used to extract phenols from natural sources are organic solvents, which may contribute to environmental pollution and cause people’s health problems. The advent of green chemistry is causing scientists to explore greener extraction methods and solvents. This study aims to evaluate an eco-friendly way using the effects of α-, β- and γ-cyclodextrins for flavanones solubilization in Citrus x paradisi L extracts compared to a standard quote without excipients. Materials and Methods: The grapefruit fruits (Citrus x paradisi L., variety Star Ruby, Italy, region - unknown) were collected from the local market in Lithuania. The fruit parts were chopped up with a food processor and frozen in a freezer (-18 ± 0.9 °C) until extraction. The extracts were made using 50% or 70% ethanol (v/v) as the solvent (10 mL), and the additional substances (0.5 ± 0.02 g) (α-, β-, γ-CDs, were added to the extraction mixture with plant material (1 ± 0.05 g). The samples were centrifuged and filtered through PVDF syringe filters (pore size 0.22 µm), and the number of flavanones was detected using HPLC analysis. Result and conclusion: The naringin yield increased on average by 4.4 (α-CDs) and 4.9 (β- CDs) times from the segmental membrane; naringenin by 1.4 (α-CDs). The results showed that the cyclodextrin-assisted extraction significantly improved the yields of flavanones from grapefruits using a lower concentration of solvent, which suggests using cyclodextrins as a green alternative and a cost-effective method to increase its pharmaceutical application.