Citrus is the most extended genus of citrus fruits in the Rutaceae family. Representatives have a huge impact in perfume industry, where they represent a source to numerous aroma compounds with citrus notes. Citruses are especially used in the production of juice, but they also have a big role in food and other industries to improve the taste. For many centuries the main method to produce citrus essential oils was cold pressing and it is still used to this day. The main compound of lemon and orange essential oils is unoxidized monoterpene derivate, limonene. Limonene works mildly antibacterial, antivirus, antioxidant and it has mild insecticide properties.
We started our experimental part with distillation of essential oil, named Citri aetheroleum from 1985, which was kept at the Department of pharmaceutical chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy. We assessed fractions with thin-layer chromatography and determined the mobile phase, suitable for column chromatography. We also checked and described differences in the smell and colour of individual fractions. Seven of eight fractions had citrus smell, the last one was viscous liquid with unpleasant odour. The ingredients of three chosen fractions were further separated with column chromatography. Next, we prepared extracts from fresh peels of lemons and oranges with three different procedures: by hand pressing, extraction with ethyl acetate and water vapour distillation.
By gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry we analysed the composition of all fractions produced with distillation and column chromatography, and freshly prepared extracts of lemon and orange. We compared them with the composition of Citri aetheroleum. The highest percentage, above 90% of limonene, had the most volatile fractions obtained by distillation. In later fractions 6, 7 and 8 the most frequent compounds were monoterpenoids carvone and limonene-1,2-diol, more polar and less volatile compounds. Freshly prepared extracts differed significantly from the essential oil from 1985. The most common compounds in this samples were also limonene, carvone, citral and limonene-1,2-diol. Differences probably resulted from different methods of isolation and the reactions that took place during more than three decades of storage.
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