Citron (Citrus medica) is considered as one of the four ancestral Citrus species and has been in use for thousands of years as a natural source for both aroma and insect repelling compounds. Citron leaves, fruit peel and flesh contain a variety of metabolites of the phenylpropanoid family (coumarins, furanocoumarins, flavonoids including anthocyanins) and isoprenoid family (mono- and sesquiterpenes, carotenoids, limonoids) involved in a variety of ecological functions. Chemotaxonomy of citron in the context of the Citrus genus demonstrates a metabolic profile different from pumelo, mandarin, oranges and grapefruit, but resembling lemon, in agreement with the available genetic and genomic data.
Citron (Citrus medica) is considered as one of the four ancestral Citrus species and has been in use for thousands of years as a natural source for both aroma and insect repelling compounds. Citron leaves, fruit peel and flesh contain a variety of metabolites of the phenylpropanoid family (coumarins, furanocoumarins, flavonoids including anthocyanins) and isoprenoid family (mono- and sesquiterpenes, carotenoids, limonoids) involved in a variety of ecological functions. Chemotaxonomy of citron in the context of the Citrus genus demonstrates a metabolic profile different from pumelo, mandarin, oranges and grapefruit, but resembling lemon, in agreement with the available genetic and genomic data.