Phytochemical screening of ethanolic extract of local Aceh lime (Citrus aurantifolia (Christm.) Swingle) peels

Abstract Herbal plants are currently attracting world attention and are being widely studied to treat various diseases as an alternative to synthetic drugs. One of the herbal plants often used is citrus lime because it contains high levels of secondary metabolite. Citrus peels are usually thrown away because they are considered waste, even though they have many high-value compounds and show a variety of potential uses in technology and health improvement. Gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) was used in this study to identify the phytochemical components of native Aceh limes ( Citrus aurantifolia (Christm.) Swingle). The results obtained from this study were that the ethanolic extract of lime peels contains twenty-eight metabolite compounds with five main compounds, namely propanedioic acid, dimethyl ester (27.47%), benzeneacetic acid, methyl ester (12.06%), β-bisabolene (5.97%), 4-hexen-1-ol, 5-methyl-2-(1-methylethenyl)-, acetate, (R)-(5.54%), and trans-linalool oxide (5.16%). The results showed diverse secondary metabolites derived from local Aceh limes dominated by ester groups. This indicates the strong potential of local Aceh limes as a source of aromatics and can be further tested as pharmaceutical agents.