Tissue- and species-specific peptides of the grapefruit have been investigated by SDS-PAGE and Western blot. Five peptides from the juice and one peptide from the peel were isolated by preparative gel electrophoresis. Polyclonal antibodies were developed against them in mice. It can be established that 82, 63, and 46 kDa peptides occurred exclusively in the samples prepared from the grapefruit and the lemon juice, whereas in the orange juice, only the 82 kDa peptide could be detected. The 31 kDa peptide is characteristic for the peel samples of grapefruit and lemon. The 210 kDa peptide did not show any specificity. A 117 kDa peptide appeared in the juice and peel of grapefruit and in the peel of lemon but not in the orange. From the data of this study, it is supposed that some of the polyclonal antibodies developed against characteristic juice and peel peptides can be used to test commercial grapefruit juice products for adulteration.

The main goal of the present study is to develop an immunoanalytical method for the quality control of orange juice products. Peptides from various parts (juice, albedo, and flavedo) of citrus fruits (orange, mandarin, grapefruit, and lemon) were analyzed and isolated by SDS-PAGE. Antisera were developed in mice against the protein pool of orange juice and peel and tested by Western blot analysis. Using these antisera, some juice- and peel-specific peptides were detected. One of the antibodies in the antiserum developed against peel proteins recognized a single peel-specific peptide with a molecular mass of 28 kDa in 10000-fold dilution. It did not give any positive reactions against the sample prepared from the juice. The 24 and 27 kDa juice-specific peptides were isolated in electrophoretically pure form, and polyclonal antibodies were developed against them in mice. The anti-27 kDa antibody reacted with a 29 kDa protein in the peel sample, and it gave a positive reaction against the 27 kDa peptide of the juice. The antibodies developed in the course of the present work seem to be useful for determining the juice content in commercial citrus beverages and for evaluating the peel contamination in them.