Project Number: 5325-41430-009-00
Project Type: Appropriated

Start Date: Oct 27, 2004
End Date: Oct 26, 2009

Objective:
The primary goals of this research project are to establish the role of naturally occurring biologically active citrus phytochemicals, in particular citrus limonoids, in human health and nutrition, to enhance citrus co-product utilization and to utilize molecular level methods to improve citrus quality and optimize important biologically active phytochemicals in new citrus varieties.

Approach:
1) Characterize naturally occurring phytochemicals, in particular limonoids, isolated from citrus fruit and juice, and assess their biological activity, determine their potential contribution to the improvement of human health and nutrition, and establish the nature and scope of their action in biological systems. 2) Develop and refine methodology to reclaim pure biologically active citrus limonoids important to human health and nutrition from citrus processing co-products. 3) Determine the origins and modulating chemical and biochemical factors for natural phytochemicals in citrus and develop molecular level strategies to modify and/or enhance the character or amount of these compounds to achieve improve citrus quality, increased consumer acceptance and optimized nutritional value of citrus. Replaces 5325-41430-008-00D (01/2005).