1. Juice debittering: In the production of citrus beverages, since the bitterness in citrus juice mainly comes from flavanone glycoside compounds such as naringin, enzymatic debittering is a common method. By adding naringinase, the bitter naringin can be hydrolyzed into prunin and rhamnose, and further hydrolyzed into non-bitter naringenin and glucose, thereby reducing the bitterness of the juice.
2. Food packaging materials: Naringin is also used as an active food packaging material, and is made into transparent, UV-resistant and high-barrier cellulose-based bioplastics by mixing with cellulose. These bioplastics have good optical, thermal, mechanical, antioxidant and antibacterial properties, and are biodegradable, making them suitable for food packaging applications.
3. Enzymatic conversion: In the food industry, the bioavailability value of naringin can be improved by enzymatic conversion. For example, naringin is converted into naringenin with multiple biological activities such as anti-ulcer, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory under the action of α-L-rhamnosidase and β-D-glucosidase. This conversion product may be used to develop new food additives or functional foods.
4. Food additives: Since naringin has multiple biological activities, it can be used as a food additive to improve the nutritional value and health benefits of food.
5. Sweetener raw materials: Under alkaline conditions, naringin can be converted into dihydrochalcone sweeteners, which are 1.000 times sweeter than sucrose and can be used as a raw material for new sweeteners.