Aromatic Quality of Tunisian Sour Orange Essential Oils: Comparison Between Traditional and Industrial Extraction

Abstract

Neroli essential oil extracted from sour orange flowers through hydrodistillation is extensively used in fragance, flavour and pharmaceutical industries and in aromatherapy. During hydrodistillation, a part of the essential oil is dissolved in condensate or distillation water and is lost as this water is discarded. The aim of this work was to characterize the chemical profile of recovered oils from distillation water obtained by either traditional or industrial processes. Essential oils from sour orange Citrus aurantium L. flowers were extracted by both artisanal and industrial distillation processes. In order to get a complete extraction of essential oils from flowers, the isolation of dissolved essential oil (recovered) from the distillation water was performed using n?hexane, and analyzed using GC and GCMS. Twenty?one components were detected and identified in Neroli primary essential oil, and were predominated by linalool (39.4%), and terpenes (38.6%). Eighteen compounds, comprising 98.5% of the total recovered oil obtained by the industrial process, and a total of 13 volatile compounds in oil (91.7%) obtained by the traditional process were identified. The major components in industrial and traditional orange blossom water recovered oils, of linalol (respectively 78% and 68%), linalyl acetate (respectively 11.7% and 12%), geraniol (respectively 0% and 6.8%), ?? terpineol (respectively 2.4% and 0.1%) and nerol (respectively 0.8% and 2.1%) were found. No terpens were found in recovered oils. These results may indicate that recovered oils are richer in organoleptically important oxygenated compounds such as alcohols, esters, aldehydes, than the Neroli and recovered essential oil of differ qualities can be obtained according to the hydrodistillation process.