Characteristic odour components of bergamot (Citrus bergamia Risso) essential oil

Abstract

The volatile components of bergamot (Citrus bergamia Risso) essential oil produced in Reggio Calabria in Italy were investigated using GC, GC-MS and gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O). Fifty-five compounds in the oil were identified by GC and GC-MS. The major compounds were limonene (37.2%), linalyl acetate (30.1%), linalool (8.8%), γ γ γ γ γ -terpinene (6.8%) and β β β β β-pinene (6.2%). In sensory analysis, odour description and flavour dilution (FD) factors of each component were evaluated by GC-sniffing and aroma extraction dilution analysis (AEDA). Bergamot-like odour components were (Z)-limonene oxide, decanal, linalyl acetate and geraniol. A mixture of eight other components, such as limonene, linalool, γ γ γ γ γ -terpinene and others, in addition to the four bergamot-like aroma compounds, brought about an aroma model of bergamot odour with the similarity of 7.1 by the nine-point-score sensory test.

Volatile Organic Components of Fresh Leaves as Indicators of Indigenous and Cultivated Citrus Species in Taiwan

“…More compounds were detected in the latter and the two profiles were dissimilar. 22) The major compounds in bergamot sour orange oil were limonene (37.2%), linalyl acetate (30.1%), and linalool (8.8%), while the proportions of limonene, linalyl acetate and linalool in the fresh leaves of C. taiwanica were 1.9%, 6.7%, and 56.4%, respectively. Linalool is a naturally-occurring terpene alcohol found in many flowers to attract pollinators, although anti-ethylene 25) and anti-inflammatory functions 26) have also been found in this essential oil.…”

“…Linalool was an abundant compound in most citrus groups, especially in the orange and mandarin groups. Linalool, limonene, and geranial were the most detected compounds in the essential oil and cold-pressed oil of mandarins, 15,21) bergamot, 22) and lime. 23) Among all the selected citrus species, the volatile profile of kumquat, which belongs to the Fortunella genus, was very different from that of the Citrus genus.…”

The Volatile Composition of Kiyomi Peel Oil (Citrus unshiu Marcov×C. sinensis Osbeck) Cultivated in Korea

“…α-Terpineol and linalool are commonly detected in Citrus oil and linalool is known to be an essential component in the fragrance products (24). In Kiyomi peel oils including Japanese Kiyomi oil, linalool was identified as being not very abundant (4), unlike the oils of other sweet citrus fruits such as oranges and mandarins, in which linalool accounts for than 0.4% of the total oil (4)(5)(6)(7)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23).…”

“…The higher content of aldehydes in Kiyomi oil resulted from the relative abundance of β-sinensal (0.8%) and α-sinensal (0.5%), followed by octanal (0.3%), decanal (0.3%), and geranial (0.3%). Among the aldehyde components, α-and β -sinensal are usually absent or only present in trace amounts in citrus oils (4)(5)(6)(7)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23). Furthermore, neither compound was detected in the oils of Shiranui, a child of Kiyomi (4); however, α-and β-sinensal were rich enough to be characteristic compounds of Kiyomi peel oil.…”

“…This result may support that nootkatone is an important volatile component discriminating Kiyomi from other oranges and mandarins including Satsuma mandarin, a parent of Kiyomi (4,6,9,19,20, Table 2). Nootkatone was known to be a key compound of pummelo species (19) with aroma characteristics of sweet, fruity and citrusy (23,24). …”