Free and coniugated polyamine content in Citrus sinensis Osbeck, cultivar Brasiliano N.L. 92, a Navel orange, at different maturation stages

Biogenic amines, synthesized during physiological metabolic processes of all living organisms, are present in food. At low concentrations, polyamines are essential for cell renewal and growth, but they can be detrimental when consumed in high amount through the diet as they could support abnormal cell growth pathologies. The daily human diet contains more putrescine than spermidine or spermine, mostly derived from fruits. In general, orange fruits contain high levels of put, a fact that could limit their utilization in the daily diet besides the benefits contributed by their strong antioxidant properties. There is therefore an increasing interest in finding plant foods with low polyamine contents, which could provide a staple diet for patients. This paper reports the amounts of free and conjugated polyamines in the flesh and peel (flavedo plus albedo) of unripe, ripe and over ripe fruits of the cultivar Brasiliano, a Navel group orange. The analyses reveal that this particular orange cultivar has low polyamine content and could be suitable for a low polyamine diet. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.