Evolution of polymethoxy flavones during development of tangelo Nova fruits

The production of nobiletin, sinensetin, tangeretin, quercetogetin and heptamethoxyflavone by tangelo Nova fruits is described. The levels of these compounds were examined by high performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. The results suggest that the highest levels of the nobiletin, sinensetin and tangeretin are associated with young developing states in fruits, while quercetogetin and heptamethoxyflavone come into full production towards the end of the lineal phase of growth. A study of the distributions of these secondary metabolites revealed that they were only located in the peel. ©