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How to Make Grapefruit Seed Extract

How to Make Grapefruit Seed Extract

Once you learn how to make grapefruit seed extract (GSE), you may not need to buy it again because GSE is cheap and easy to make at home.

Each fall and winter especially, when the citrus crops are in season, we regularly enjoy grapefruit and other citrus fruits. Not only for the fresh fruit, but also the many wonderful health benefits and to fortify our winter immunity.

Now, we no longer view the seeds as something to get rid of, but rather, beneficial gems to mine from the fruit for making grapefruit seed extract.

You can use this same process for making citrus extracts from the peel and pith as well.

Let Us Know

We do our best to deeply research our focus topic and to include official scientific studies as well as anecdotal information, with each labeled as such.

We also love learning from the direct experience of our readers, so if you have first hand knowledge of GSE that you’d like to share, or anything in our article that needs correcting or clarifying, please let us know and we’re glad to share and update this article accordingly.

But first, what is GSE?

If you’re interested in more info on GSE, and dehydrating seeds, etc., continue reading. Or you can skip that and go straight to the grapefruit seed extract recipe.

What is Grapefruit Seed Extract?

Grapefruit seed extract (GSE), is used as a supplement derived from the seeds of grapefruit, and/or the grapefruit seeds, pith and pulp. In other words, some extracts use the seeds alone, and others use the seeds and fruit, and some also use the peel.

There are many benefits of grapefruit seed extract for health and for cleaning. There are studies that indicate GSE has antimicrobial[1]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7830962/[2]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12165191/, antiviral,[3]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3131668/ and antifungal properties,[4]https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0217496 amongst many other benefits and uses.[5]https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0217496

What we love most about homemade grapefruit seed extract is that it turns refuse into food, medicine and more, such as this grapefruit seed extract cleaner.

How to Prepare Grapefruit Seeds for Making Extract

First, you will need to collect enough grapefruit seeds, which may take days or weeks, depending on how often you’re having grapefruit. After cutting a grapefruit, extract the seeds. If you’re making extract right away, you don’t need to do anything else to preserve the seeds before grinding, and we cover this in the recipe section below.

You can use fresh or dehydrated grapefruit seeds for making GSE. If you need to collect your grapefruit seeds over time as you consume enough grapefruit to accumulate the amount needed, you can preserve them through dehydration. Then store in a jar or envelope once they’re completely dry.

You can find more on seed storage here.

Here we’re collecting grapefruit seeds as we consume our grapefruit, until we have enough to make extract.

How to Dehydrate Grapefruit Seeds

  • Air dry – place on a plate or wax paper (don’t use paper towels, as the paper can stick to the seeds and be hard to remove once it dries on
  • Ambient warmth – Place on a plate or sheet pan a warm surface, such as the stove top while the oven below is on, or a nearby stove eye. The indirect heat will expedite the process. Just be careful to insure that the plate with the seeds doesn’t get too hot so as to break or burn bare hands.
  • Food dehydrator – find more on food dehydration here.
  • Oven on warming setting, (usually around 150°F / 65°C
  • Sun – warm or hot sun is perfect; it’s free, quick, easy, and may even add intangible nutrients
  • Yogurt maker – if you have a yogurt maker, you can place your citrus seeds in there without the lid.

Find more on best food dehydrators or how to dehydrate oranges here.

How Many Seeds Are Needed to Make Grapefruit Seed Extract?

The number of seeds you use will vary by recipe as well as by whether you’re using whole or powdered seeds, (which is not as efficient, as you will read further down under the “how to”). The quantity used is also dependent on how many seeds you have available and how much extract you’d like to make.

However, you can make an extract with even a few seeds, peel, pith (the non-juicy pulp), so long as you’re using enough solvent, aka menstruum, (the old fashioned word for solvents). The main thing is to use enough liquid solvent to easily cover the solids.

How Many Seeds in a Grapefruit?

Now if you’re looking into how to make GSE, then chances are you already have a supply of grapefruit seeds that you’re trying to put to good use. But if you’re planning from scratch, chances are you’re wondering how many grapefruit you’ll need in order to collect enough seeds.

The number of seeds in a grapefruit varies widely, depending on the variety and size of the fruit and of the seeds. So we searched around for grapefruit seed counts (we found only two), and have also performed our own count on our grapefruit as well.

There are an average of 49 seeds per seeded grapefruit, (based on a very limited poll). You can see that count below, however, again, the counts will vary dramatically amongst different grapefruit varieties.

Since you’ll need grapefruit seeds for making grapefruit seed extract, you’ll want to start saving the seeds each time you enjoy a grapefruit.

Here’s a summary of three different counts of grapefruit seeds in one grapefruit. I only took an average of the two, however, because ours turned out to be a seedless variety!

  • 3 seeds – We counted an average of 3 seeds per grapefruit from two different batches. I don’t know if these are classified as seedless grapefruit, but they may be which would explain the low count. This does not include any count of the several (or many) tiny seeds that don’t really have seed value, either for nutrients or offspring, and seem more like flecks of shell more than a full bodied seed.
  • 23 seeds – answered by someone on Answers.com🤔[6]https://www.answers.com/biology/How_many_seeds_does_a_grapefruit_have
  • 53 seeds – counted by a lady with a blog about living in Dominican Republic[7]https://colonialzone-dr.com/dr_gringa_blog/2011/03/02/how-many-seeds-in-a-grapefruit/
  • 118 seeds – the number of seeds in a pomelo type grapefruit[8]https://celllevelhealing.com/how-many-seeds/

Please send us your grapefruit seed counts (photos and the type too if that’s available), and we will continue to update this list for greater accuracy amongst a larger number of grapefruit seed counts. Because we wanted to know, we figured others would too!

A count of 4 types of grapefruit yielded an average of 49 seeds per grapefruit. [3 + 23 + 53 + 118 ÷ 4 = 49.25]

~GardensAll

So if you’re going to make grapefruit seed extract from scratch, you’ll need to be sure to get the seeded variety and NOT the seedless type. I ended up eating the two seeds extracted from my two small seedless grapefruit.

Yes, you can eat grapefruit seeds in moderation. These were mildly bitter and mildly pleasant, and with some free vitamin C and protein!

Now, let’s get on with how to make GSE.

How to Make Grapefruit Seed Extract

It’s far more effective to make grapefruit seed extract with ground or crushed seeds. The active compounds in grapefruit seeds are found in the seed membrane and the white, spongy pith that surrounds the seeds, which are exposed when the seeds are ground.

NOTE: You can also use this same recipe for making other citrus seed extracts. See our article on Poncirus trifoliata orange medicinal benefits and uses.

Grapefruit Seed Extract With Ground Grapefruit Seeds

Materials:

  • Cutting board
  • Sharp knife
  • Strainer – a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth
  • Grapefruit seeds, ground, (can be fresh or dried)

Ingredients:

Quantities are approximate. As with any extract, the main goal is to have enough solvent liquid to completely cover the ground seeds.

  • ~1 cup of fresh grapefruit seeds (preferably organic).* Collect grapefruit seeds from grapefruit that has been washed before cutting.
  • ~2 cups of solvent, such as vegetable glycerin or alcohol such as vodka or brandy at a minimum 80-proof
  • A glass jar with a tight-fitting lid, (preferably plastic)*
  • Cheesecloth or fine-mesh strainer

*NOTE 1: Quantities are approximate.
The goal is to aim for approximately 33% grapefruit seeds to 67% solvent medium, (based on the ratio used by the bestselling GSE extract, Nutribiotic). A solvent can be an alcohol like vodka, brandy or rum at a minimum 80-proof (35% alcohol as recommended by FDA guidelines),[9]https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/cfrsearch.cfm?fr=169.3 or it can be a food grade vegetable glycerin.

Instructions:

  1. Grind grapefruit seeds in a coffee or spice grinder or blender, (if you have a