Naringin is a flavanone glycoside . It is a major flavonoid in Grapefruit and gives the grapefruit juice its bitter taste. It is metabolized to the flavanone naringenin in humans. Both naringenin and hesperetin , which are the aglycones of naringin and hesperidin, occur naturally in Citrus fruits . In commercial grapefruit juice production, the enzyme naringinase is used to remove the bitterness created by naringin.
Use
Naringin has obvious anti-inflammation effect. Besides it can reduce blood viscosity and thrombosis. Naringin can also be used for analgesia, calm, and increase the secretion of bile of the experimental animals.
When naringin is treated with potassium hydroxide or another strong base, and then catalytically hydrogenated , it becomes a naringin dihydrochalcone , a compound roughly 300-1800 times sweeter than sugar at threshold concentrations.