The investigation of applying limonene as a bioactive compound in the food and pharmaceutical industries

Due to the identified side effects of current synthetic drugs and growing public awareness in terms of beneficial usage of the natural compounds, the attention of researchers towards effective compounds in plants have recently drawn. D-limonene is a monoterpene, volatile, and aromatic flavor compound which is found in citrus fruits such as orange peel oil. As an essential oil, it has been reported that D-limonene presents a wide spectrum of antimicrobial, antioxidant, and therapeutic properties. D-limonene is also classified as generally recognized as safe (GRAS). This compound is widely used in the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, perfume, food, and beverage industries. However, due to some inherent properties of D-limonene such as low water solubility, chemical destruction in the presence of light and high temperature, and high sensitivity to oxidation, its application is considerably limited at the industrial scale. In this paper, structure, extraction methods, physicochemical, therapeutic and health properties of limonene, as well as its applications in the food industry are investigated.