Essential Oils from Citrus Fruits
Citrus essential oils are those obtained from oranges, lemons, limes, tangerines, mandarins, and the grapefruit, usually by pressing their peels.
But there are also essential oils extracted from their flowers, the neroli, and oils from their leaves, the petitgrain.
The citrus essential oils extracted from its peels have a vast number of therapeutic and industrial applications, and are very important in the world economy of citrus derivatives.
Brazilian Essential Oils
Brazil has a prominent place in the production of essential oils and, together with India, China and Indonesia, is considered one of the four great world producers. Brazil's position is basically due to citrus essential oils, obtained as by-products of the juice industry.
There are at least 300 essential oils of commercial interest in the world and, among the 18 most important, Brazil leads the production of two: orange (Citrus sinensis) and distilled lime (Citrus aurantifolia).
Citrus Oil Yields
Orange essential oil is extracted from the pericarp of the fruit and has been used in perfumery, pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, and cleaning materials. The maximum yield of citrus oil extraction is 0.4%, that is, for each ton of processed fruit, four kilos of oil are obtained.
Benefits of Citrus Essential Oils
Several scientific researches have revealed that these citrus oils have properties and a high power of menotorpenes in, citrus oils is one of the great secrets of their recognized therapeutic properties. Menotorpenes are the smallest molecules that make up citrus oils, and for this reason they penetrate with extreme ease into all tissues of the human body, with powerful fat-solving action. The menotorpene with the highest percentage in these citrus oils is d-limonene. In orange it reaches 90%, in lemon 65-70% (depending on the variety), in tangerine 70%, and in grapefruit 95%.
