Although most lemons are imported into Korea, their consumption is increasing.
Development of domestic varieties of Jeramon and
Minimon is currently underway in an effort to meet the
increasing demand for fresh lemons. In this study, an analysis of the
physicochemical characteristics of Jeramon and
Minimon, including their flavor components and antioxidant
properties, was conducted. The results revealed that these new varieties of
Korean lemon can be regarded as good sources of antioxidants and phytochemicals.
Compared to Sunkist, the most consumed lemon variety in Korea,
Minimon contained more than twice as much
β-cryptoxanthin, and the content of L-ascorbic acid
was more than three-four-fold higher in both Minimon and
Jeramon. In addition, results from measurement of DPPH and
ABTS radical scavenging activities indicated that Jeramon
extract exhibited the highest antioxidant activity. In the volatile profile
analysis, the profiles of volatile components showed high similarity among the
three lemon samples, and the composition ratio was largely dominated by
terpenoids. A markedly higher ratio of d-limonene and thymol was detected in the
Minimon variety compared with that in the other two
varieties. Collectively, the findings from this study on Korean lemon varieties
provide a basis as well as valuable guidance for breeding domestic lemon
varieties.