Current and emerging applications in detection and removal of bitter compounds in citrus fruit juice: A critical review

For decades, producers, researchers, and food safety agencies have faced the challenge of processing bitter citrus fruit and making it more appealing to consumers. The primary compounds responsible for the bitterness in citrus fruit juices are naringin and limonin. In order to extend the shelf life and enhance the acceptability of citrus fruit juices, similar to other tropical fruits, scientists and the food industry have been continuously working to reduce their bitterness. This has led to the development of various physical, chemical, and biological methods, which are commonly used scientific approaches for reducing bitterness in citrus fruit juices. This review emphasizes the significance of citrus fruit in the economy and discusses the different bittering agents present in citrus fruits, as well as the various techniques used to detect their presence. Additionally, it highlights different debittering techniques and the advancement of technologies aimed at achieving fast, reliable, and effective debittering of bitter citrus fruits. The review also examines the effects of different debittering techniques on the chemical and phytochemical properties of citrus juice and briefly discusses future prospects in this field. Furthermore, this review recognizes the potential of advanced techniques such as sensors to replace traditional methods. Traditional approaches often require a significant amount of time and technical expertise and can be expensive. The utilization of sensors and other advanced technologies can address these limitations and provide more efficient and cost-effective solutions in the debittering process.