Content evaluation of 4 furanocoumarin monomers in various citrus germplasms

Due to the furanocoumarin compounds in the fruit, the production and consumption of grapefruit have
been affected in the past decades since the ‘grapefruit juice effect’ was declared. To provide elite germ-
plasm and obtain knowledge for future citrus breeding programs, the contents of 4 furanocoumarin
monomers (FCMs) in the juice sacs from 73 citrus germplasms were evaluated using ultra-performance
liquid chromatography. 60,70-Dihydroxybergamottin and bergamottin were dominant in all the tested
grapefruits, while there were some pomelos with dominant epoxybergamottin, and some with dominant
60,70-dihydroxybergamottin and bergamottin. The contents of FCMs were low or below detection in sweet
oranges, mandarins, lemons and trifoliate oranges. The results also show that the dominant patterns of
FCMs are genotype-related, and crossing and selection are effective approaches to alter FCM profiles in
citrus breeding. Furthermore, the contribution of pomelo as a parent to grapefruit regarding their FCM
profiles was discussed.