Sweet Orange Peel Oil
- Type
- Essential oil
- Botanical name
- Citrus sinensis
- Other names
- sweet orange oil, orange oil
The fruit
The sweet orange is an evergreen tree of the rue family, a hybrid of mandarin and pomelo, with glossy green leaves and edible orange fruits; the Latin species name sinensis means "from China", which probably refers to where it was first grown.[3] It reached Europe in the early 16th century and was soon taken to the Americas; for that reason the oil was once called "Portugal oil".[1]
How the oil is made
Most orange oil is pressed from the peel by hand or machine; strictly, the pressed oil is not a true essential oil, because it contains a little non-volatile matter. In the 1960s, distilled sweet orange oil was made in very large amounts alongside the orange juice industry, mainly by steam-distilling peels that had already been pressed.[1]
Composition
As in other citrus peel oils, limonene is the most abundant component, usually about 60 to 95% of the oil.[2]
Scent and uses
Pressed sweet orange oil smells sweet, light and fresh, fruity, distinctly reminiscent of a scratched orange peel, and it is used mainly in flavours. Distilled orange oil smells fresh and sweet but not very rich and fades quickly; it is of little value as a flavouring, but it is used to scent inexpensive household products and, widely, to imitate the scent of bergamot oil.[1]
Quality and storage
In the 1960s, distilled orange oil was used in large amounts to adulterate pressed orange and other citrus oils. Distilled oils turn rancid or oxidise faster than pressed ones, so in the 1960s an antioxidant was customarily added where they were made.[1]
Safety
Limonene oxidises easily, especially in warmth, and its oxidation products raise the risk of a skin allergy. An oxidised oil smells less fresh, and citrus oils sometimes turn cloudy.[4]
Products containing it
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Steffen Arctander, Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin, Elizabeth, NJ, 1960: Orange Oil, Sweet, distilled; Orange Oil, Sweet, expressed.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 M. Carmen González-Mas et al., Volatile Compounds in Citrus Essential Oils: A Comprehensive Review. Frontiers in Plant Science 10 (2019), 12, doi 10.3389/fpls.2019.00012.
- ↑ North Carolina State University Extension, Citrus × sinensis. Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.
- ↑ Robert Tisserand, Lemon on the rocks: keep your essential oils cool. 26 July 2013.