Citrus oils/essences

Production of Citrus Essence Oils. Distillative concentration of citrus juices yields essence oils, which separate from the aqueous phase in the receiver when the distillate condenses. The composition of essence oils is similar to that of peel oils, but the essence oils usually contain larger quantities of aliphatic ethyl esters (e.g., ethyl butyrate in orange essence oil). Thus, their aroma resembles that of a particular juice more than that of peel oils. 

Essential oils are to be distinguished from the so-called distillates which are ethanol-containing products that are obtained from plant materials by distillation with ethanol or with ethanol-water mixtures. Essence oils are defined as essential oils that separate from the aqueous phase in the distillation receiver during the distillative concentration of fruit juices (usually citrus juices). 

Qtrus oils comprise both essential oils obtained from the peels of citrus fruits and essence oils obtained by concentrating citrus juice (see Section 3.2.1). 

Essence oil and aqueous essence (sometimes called aqueous aroma) are both formed from the condensate from steam distillation/evaporation of citrus juices. These products consist of volatile juice compounds and do not contain non-volatile pigments. 

The following protocols are primarily conducted to ensure the quality of citrus oils during various phases of citrus processing. Citrus processors must account for quality and quantity of citrus oils sold to flavor houses. This not only includes monitoring recovered oils (i.e., cold-pressed oil, essence oil, and J-limonene) but also the total available oil. 

Citrus essences are distilled aqueous solutions of the more volatile components from the corresponding citms juices, as defined by Shaw (10). Commercially, they are added to concentrated citms juices to impart fresh fmit flavor that may be lost during the concentration process. Essence may be collected from fresh juice either by partial distillation prior to juice evaporation or by condensation of volatiles from the early stages of evaporation (11). Two phases, namely, aqueous essence and essence oil, are obtained during recovery. 

Distillation of citrus juices yields two volatile fractions, namely, aqueous essences and essence oils that are separated from each other by condensation of the distillate (7). Aqueous essence, the bottom layer of the condensate is comprised of organic acids, alcohols, aldehydes, esters, hydrocarbons, ketones, hydrogen sulfide, and oxides (10). Considering many components found in both cold-pressed peel oil and aqueous essence, essence oil has a flavor similar to that of the combined peel oil and aqueous essence (10). However, essence oil usually contains a larger amount of... 

These compositional changes usually negatively influence the odor and flavor of citrus peel oils by generating off-flavor products. It has been shown that nonvolatile residues of citrus peel oil contain some compounds that exhibit antioxidative activities, among which permethoxylated flavones, dehydroabietic acid (46), coumarins, and psoralens have been identified (33). In this respect, cold-pressed citrus peel oil is more stable than distilled oil and essence oil, in which most of the natural antioxidants present are left behind when the oil is distilled (1). 

The applications of citrus oils are versatile and in many domains. As a result of their freshness, lightness, and fine fruity aroma, citrus peel oils and essences are widely used in the food and beverage industries as well as in some nonfood applications (1). 

There is considerable interest in the chemical composition and properties of citrus oils and essences as well as the role they play in food and nonfood industries. Citrus peel oils and essences possess a pleasant aroma, with oxygenated compounds being the major constituents that account for their characteristic odor. Terpenes, the most abundant components in cold-pressed citms peel oil, are removed in concentrated oil production, usually by use of adsorbant and supercritical carbon dioxide, to increase the concentration of oxygenated compounds and to enhance the qualification of the oil. Meanwhile, citms seed oils are composed largely of triacylglycerols and are rich in oleic and linoleic acids. 

A simple way to obtain a clear soft drink is adding clear, water-soluble flavours, so-called essence flavours. The most popular products, usually derived from ethanol-extracted and distilled citrus peel oils, provide a subtle taste of lemon or lime. The dosage of these flavours is around 1 g per litre of final drink. Together with sweetener, acidifier and carbonation, one gets a fizzy clear and colourless drink with citrus taste. 

Samples of Early-Mid and Valencia essence oils were obtained from a citrus processing plant in Lake Wales, Florida on three different processing days. The samples were diluted with ethyl ether (1 80) and 20 pL of 2000 ppm of 4-heptadecanone was added as internal standard to 1.0 mL of the diluted oil. A 0.1 uL aliquot was injected into the GC. 

Three sensory judges with over 45 years combined citrus experience described the aroma characteristics of the two types of orange essence oil. The undiluted oil was presented on perfumers wands and free choice descriptors were allowed. 

Yet another valuable avor product of citrus fruits is the essence oil. The favored method for the transport of citrus juice is in the form of a frozen juice concentrate. The fruit juice is partly... 

Yet another valuable flavor product of citrus fruits is the essence oil. The favored method for the transport of citrus juice is in the form of a frozen juice concentrate. The fruit juice is partly dehydrated by distilling off under vacuum the greater part of the water and frozen. Distilling off the water results in significant losses of the desirable volatiles responsible for the aroma of the fruit. These volatiles are captured in several cold traps and constitute the aqueous essence or essence oil that has the typical fruity and fresh fragrance, but slightly less aldehydic than that of the oil. This oil is used to enhance the flavor of the reconstituted juice obtained by thawing and dilution with water of the frozen concentrate. 

Essential oil, also defined as essence, volatile oil, etheric oil or aetheroleum, is a complex mixture of volatile constituents biosynthesised by living organisms. Essential oils can be liberated from their matrix by water, steam and dry distillation, or expression in the case of citrus fruits [1-5]. Their occurrence and function in nature is still a question and the subject of ongoing research. However, there is evidence that organisms produce essential oils for defence, signalling or as part of their secondary metabolism. As a consequence essential oils comprise an important bio resource for renewable natural products [1-25]. 

The use of terpenoids, usually as mixtures prepared from plants, dates from antiquity. The several essential oils produced by distillation of plant parts contained the plant essences. These oils have been employed in die preparation of perfumes, flavorings, and medidnals. Examples are oils of clove (local anesthetic in toothache), lemon (flavoring), lavender (perfume), and juniper (diuretic). Usually essential oil production depends on a simple technology which often involves steam distillation of plant material The perfume industry of Soudiem France uses somewhat more sophisticated procedures in the isolation of natural flower oils since these oils are heat sensitive. The separation of oils from citrus fruit residues m California and Florida is done by machine. 

A flavouring essence is a traditional flavouring product prepared by washing a selected oil blend (predominately citrus oils) with an aqueous alcoholic solvent mixture (e.g. 60% ethanol/40% water). It is an extraction process in which the aqueous extract phase becomes the flavouring. The process is earned out under cool temperatures, for example, 5-10°C, either batch-wise or by counter-current extraction. The soluble oxygenated flavouring constituents present in the essential oil blend (e.g. citral in lemon oil) are effectively partitioned between the two phases of the mixture. The low temperatures employed ensure that the transfer of any oil into the hydro-alcoholic phase is minimised as a poorly processed essence will tend to cloud when used in the drink formulation. 

Juice Cloud. Mechanical extraction of citrus fruits yields a turbid suspension of wall fragments and cellular organelles in a serum composed primarily of cell vacuolar fluids. In most citrus juice products, such a suspension of fragments and organelles is a desirable component, since it provides most of the characteristic color and flavor (28). Essence and peel oils suspended in juice contribute desirable citrus notes to flavor, and these oils are rapidly adsorbed by juice particulate material shortly after extraction (29). 

The alert panel supervisor will also come to know about each regular panelist s ability to detect the many off-flavors that could possibly occur in citrus products. Of primary concern, other than the common sweet and sour flavor attributes, are the panelists abilities to specifically identify (a) bitterness (naringin and/or limonin induced), (b) heated, processed or pumpout off-flavor, (c) excess peel oily, (d) excess and/or poor essency flavor, and (e) the following off-flavors cardboard, tallowy, castor oil, diacetyl or buttermilk, green or immature, overmature or stale fruit, and spoiled fruit. 

There are many applications where the organic compounds are extracted from natural materials. Extraction is used for preparation of pure flavor essences from expressed oils of various citrus fruit. Pyrethrum is recovered from pyrethrum flowers by solvent extraction. A continuous saponification, glycol extraction, and splitting process for converting fat into finished soap base has been used in soap production. 

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