title: Bioactive molecules as authenticity markers of Italian Chinotto (Citrus×myrtifolia) fruits and beverages.
abstract: Chinotto (Citrus×myrtifolia) is a uncommon fruit belonging to the Citrus genus, mainly cultivated in small areas of the Italian territory, where the main use concerns the eponymous drink, marketed with the name of "Chinotto". The lack of information about this fruit highlights the usefulness of nutraceutical compound characterization, as well as the need to identify genuineness markers in derived commercial products. An analytical strategy based on SPE-HPLC-F was developed to identify and quantify different bioactive compounds in Chinotto (Citrus×myrtifolia) fruits and commercial beverages. The method was fully validated and successfully applied to the analysis of nutraceutical compounds in Chinotto fruits of Italian origin and in some Chinotto-based beverages, granting reliable and consistent data. The obtained results provided preliminary key information about the bioactive profiling of Citrus×myrtifolia and proved the suitability of the selected compounds as authenticity markers of derived commercial soft drinks.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pharmaco-Toxicological Analysis, Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology (FaBiT), Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 6, 40126 Bologna, Italy; Inter-Department Centre for Industrial Research - Advanced Mechanics and Materials (CIRI-MAM), Piazza Malatesta 29-30, 47923 Rimini, Italy.
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Protti
authors.affiliation: Institute for the Study of Nanostructured Materials, National Council of Research (ISMN-CNR), Via P. Gobetti 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Valle
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Botany, Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology (FaBiT), Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Via Irnerio 4, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Ferruccio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Poli
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pharmaco-Toxicological Analysis, Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology (FaBiT), Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 6, 40126 Bologna, Italy; Inter-Department Centre for Industrial Research - Advanced Mechanics and Materials (CIRI-MAM), Piazza Malatesta 29-30, 47923 Rimini, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Augusta
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Raggi
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pharmaco-Toxicological Analysis, Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology (FaBiT), Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 6, 40126 Bologna, Italy; Inter-Department Centre for Industrial Research - Advanced Mechanics and Materials (CIRI-MAM), Piazza Malatesta 29-30, 47923 Rimini, Italy. Electronic address: laura.mercolini@unibo.it.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mercolini
mesh_terms: D002253:Carbonated Beverages / Q000032:analysis*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods; D002957:Citrus / Q000737:chemistry*; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D052616:Solid Phase Extraction / Q000379:methods
keywords: Authenticity markers; Bioactive characterization; Citrus×myrtifolia fresh fruits; Quali-quantitative analysis; “Chinotto” commercial beverages