Medicinal prospective of Citrus limon and Citrus sinensis peels essential oil by Gas Chromatography/ Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) compositional analysis

Citrus fruits are highly nutritious and medicinal fruits that are commonly cultivated throughout the tropics. This study was carried out to determine the bioactive compounds of the methanol peel extracts of Citrus limon and Citrus sinensis. The peels from fresh fruits of C. limon and C. sinensis were air-dried at room temperature and were pulverized into fine powder. The bioactive determinations were carried out by Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). The mass spectrum of the compounds found in the peels extract was matched with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) library. The results showed that four (4) and five (5) bioactive compounds were identified in C. limon and C. sinensis methanol peel extracts respectively. The C. limon peel extract contained 4-(methylsulfanyl) but-1-en-3-yne, Sulfanylphenylium, 1,3-thiazole and 3-methylidenecyclobutanecarbonitrile while C. sinensis contained Pyridine-2-carbaldehyde, 1-Methyl-1H-pyrrole-2-carbaldehyde, Glutamic acid, 2-Ethyl-5-methyl-1H-pyrrole and Pyrrolidin-2-one. The results of this study therefore unveiled that the C. limon and C. sinensis peel extracts contained variable bioactive compounds with medicinal value and could be useful raw materials for pharmaceutical industries.