DETERMINAZIONE DI FLAVONOIDI E FUROCUMARINE IN DERIVATI DEL BERGAMOTTO MEDIANTE HPLC-DAD

Bergamot represents, in the Calabria food farming scenery, a particular valuable product. Its remarkable flavonoid content is generating increasing interest in Bergamot derivatives for their potential beneficial effects on human health. In particular, the presence of three flavanones as narinig, neoeriocitrin and neohesperidin, give it an exclusive antioxidant pattern, unique in nature, which suggests applications in nutraceutical field. Moreover, employing neoeriocitrin and naringin as markers, it is possible to detect the addition of bergamot juice to lemon juice to estimate fraudolent adulterations. The aim of this study was to evaluate flavonoids distribution in bergamot and lemon derivatives, and of two 673 furocoumarins (bergaptene and bergamottin), potentially troublesome to humans, through HPLC/DAD.