Project Number: 6621-41000-012-00
Project Type: Appropriated

Start Date: Aug 09, 2004
End Date: Aug 08, 2009

Objective:
Isolate phenolic compounds in citrus byproducts with beneficial biological activities in humans. Investigate new avenues of biological testing for citrus phenolic compounds. Isolate, structurally identify, and evaluate the relative roles of furanocoumarins involved in the "grapefruit/drug interaction". Obtain more precise data on the effect of grapefruit juice consumption on the absorption rates of certain medications. Develop large scale recoveries based on enzymatic hydrolysis of the source material. Eliminate or reduce drug-interactive compounds in grapefruit juice. Analyze other value-added materials (phytosterols and polyunsaturated fatty acids) currently commercialized as specialty ingredients by the food industry, in citrus byproduct streams. Determine the optimal enzymatic formulation for pretreatment of citrus fruit waste peel and conversion of the processing waste into separate phenolic and polysaccharide enriched streams.

Approach:
Develop chromatographic and extraction procedures to isolate and purify new citrus phenolic compounds thought to have the highest probability of exhibiting biological activity. Fractions enriched in specific phenolic compounds will be isolated and evaluated as potential value-added materials for food and health applications. New, untested compounds, novel compositions with other citrus compounds, and new biological applications, will be pursued to develop value-added uses for compounds derived from citrus processing byproducts. Compounds in grapefruit that interfere or enhance drug uptake will be identified, characterized, and purified for in vitro testing and for subsequent evaluation in clinical trials. Filtration, temperature treatment or enzymatic techniques will be employed to remove drug-interactive compounds from grapefruit juice. Develop optimal hydrolysis conditions for the conversion of peel into separate phenolic and polysaccharide enriched streams, with the aim to maximize the recovery of separate value-added components from waste citrus peel. Bioconversions of the cell wall polysaccharide constituents of citrus byproducts into new, value-added food-based products will be investigated.Develop chromatographic and extraction procedures to isolate and purify new citrus phenolic compounds thought to have the highest probability of exhibiting biological activity. Fractions enriched in specific phenolic compounds will be isolated and evaluated as potential value-added materials for food and health applications. New, untested compounds, novel compositions with other citrus compounds, and new biological applications, will be pursued to develop value-added uses for compounds derived from citrus processing byproducts. Develop optimal hydrolysis conditions for the conversion of peel into separate phenolic and polysaccharide enriched streams, with the aim to maximize the recovery of separate value-added components from waste citrus peel. Bioconversions of the cell wall polysaccharide constituents of citrus byproducts into new, value-added food-based products will be investigated.