Correlative metabolite profiling approach to understand antioxidant and antimicrobial activities from citrus essential oils

Summary The objective of this study was to investigate the chemical composition of the essential oils from citrus species, as well as their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. By gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry, we identified thirty‐seven metabolites and a range of unique compounds, contributing to the discrimination of the species. Different biological potentialities were detected depending on the species supported the significant effect of the genetic factor. C. aurantium and C. limon exhibited the highest antioxidant activities which make them a potential source of natural preservative. C. limon exhibited the highest antibacterial activities and C. reticulata the highest antifungal activities. Essential oils extracted from these agro‐wastes could serve as natural food preservatives to prevent food pathogens and then extending the shelf life. A set of potential metabolites could be implicated in the observed biological activity, underlying that the antimicrobial activity is a complex trait.