Unlocking the potential of Citrus aurantiifolia bioactive compounds, functional benefits, and food applications: A comprehensive review

Citrus aurantiifolia is a member of Rutaceae family that commonly used ingredient in food and beverage. Its bioactive compound exerts various functional properties for functional food development. This review highlights its bioactive compounds, functional properties, and functional food application, aiming to provide a comprehensive overview to facilitate its further development in health and nutraceutical fields. Scientific articles were collected from online database searches (PubMed, ScienceDirect, ResearchGate, Directory of Open Access Journal, Google Scholar, and Springer). C. aurantiifolia has a wide range of active compounds, functional properties, and functional food applications. C. aurantiifolia contains various phytoconstituents, such as essential oils, polyphenols, flavonoids, coumarins, and limonins that play a role in various functional properties. In silico, in vitro, and in vivo studies demonstrated C. aurantiifolia antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic, antitumor, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, cardiovascular protective, antihyperlipidemic, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, nephroprotective, anti-aging, and sedative activities. However, no clinical trials have shown significant functional properties. Its application also hampered due to its volatile nature, prone to degradation, low water solubility, and bitter taste of its active compounds. Encapsulations, microparticles, microencapsulation and nanoparticle technology, can be an approach to protect active ingredients, modify release, and enhance its activity. Several techniques to address bitter taste elimination due to naringin and limonin content are additional sweetener, extraction methods optimization, enzyme hydrolysis, resin adsorption, microparticle, and filtration to reduce naringin and limonin levels.