Comparative analysis of physicochemical pa rameters of freshly squeezed juices from various citrus fruits

The history of citrus fruits goes back thousands of years, the plants originate from Southeast Asia. Most of the modern varieties of the genus Citrus are the result of long-term selection and crossing of three main species: Citrus reticulata, Citrus maxima, and Citrus medica. The consumption of citrus fruits has increased significantly in recent decades, due to their high nutritional value and availability. Today, citrus fruits are among the most widely cultivated fruits worldwide, with cultivation occurring on all continents except Antarctica. The total global pro duction of citrus fruits is over 161.8 million tonnes per year. The study aimed to evaluate the physicochemical properties of freshly squeezed citrus juices by deter mining such indicators as active and titratable acidity, vitamin C content, dry soluble substances and fruit maturity indices. A comparative analysis of the pH of freshly squeezed juices of different species of the genus Citrus was carried out. The study revealed that acidity is a variable indicator that depends on varietal characteristics, degree of maturity, and external factors. The lowest pH values were recorded for lime and lemon - 2.76 and 2.84, respectively, correlating with their pronounced sour taste. Orange, oroblanco and mandarin are characterized by moderate acidity (3.78-3.66). Grapefruit demonstrates an intermediate level of acidity with a characteristic bitterness, which determines its specific organoleptic properties. The titration analysis revealed that lime juice had the highest titratable acidity (4.55 %) compared to other citrus species. The data substantiated an inverse relationship between the titrant volume and pH. The lowest pH was observed in lime juice, consistent with its highest titratable acidity. In contrast, orange juice displayed the highest pH and the lowest titrant volume, signifying its lowest titratable acidity among the analyzed samples. The content of dry soluble substances in the studied fruits ranged from 7.52 to 11.78 %. Orange juice showed the highest concentration of these substances (11.78 %). Correlation analysis revealed a statistically significant relationship between the acidity of the medium and the content of ascorbic acid. The BrimA index showed a high correlation with the content of dry soluble substances and the sugar-acid ratio. The content of vitamin C in the studied citrus samples ranged from 26.21 to 57.25 mg/100 cm³. The highest ascorbic acid content was observed in orang es, exceeding the mandarins' values by half. Lemons contained 38% more vitamin C than limes. The concentration of vitamin C in grapefruit and oroblanco was almost the same. Key words: citrus fruits, physicochemical parameters, pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids content, ascorbic acid, fruit ripening indices.