Abstract:

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of extraction method and citrus variety on the fatty acid
composition and active substance content of citrus seed oil. The seeds of tangerine (Citrus reticulate), long-leafed sweet
orange (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) and Liangping pomelo (Citrus maxima cv. Liangping Yu) were used in this study. A total
of 12 citrus seed oils were extracted from the seed samples by supercritical CO2 fluid extraction, ultrasonic-assisted solvent
extraction, mechanical cold pressing, and hot pressing, respectively. The citrus seed oils contained 5 main fatty acids,
palmitic acid, stearic acid, palmitic acid, oleic acid, and linoleic acid as measured by GC-MS. Some samples also contained
functional fatty acids such as dihomo-γ-linolenic acid and squalene. The extraction methods had a significant effect on
fatty acid composition of oils. The contents of limonoids, nomilin, and β-sitosterol in citrus seed oils were 0.05?0.99 mg/g,
0.13?0.98 mg/g, and 20.25?55.04 μg/g, respectively as determined by HPLC. The extraction methods had a significant effect
on the β-sitosterol content, and an extremely significant effect on the limonoids content.

Key words: extraction methods, citrus varieties, fatty acid composition, active substances