Bioproduction of neohesperidin and naringin in callus cultures of Citrus aurantium.

The accumulation of both neohesperidin and naringin as major flavonoids in callus cultures of bitter orange (Citrus aurantium) was demonstrated using high performance liquid chromatography with a diode-array detector. The identity of both compounds was confirmed by their corresponding nuclear magnetic resonance spectra. The levels of neohesperidin are higher than those of naringin in callus culture, as they are in immature fruit, and high concentrations of both are found in young tissues such as immature fruits and the outer zone of calli.