West Indian limes

Lime Oil. This oil is obtained from the fmit Citrus aurantijolia Swingle the Key, Mexican, or West Indian lime or C latijolia Tanaka, the Persian lime, either by steam distillation or expression. Either the entire cmshed fmit or only the peel may be used, depending on the specific properties desired. A typical commercial distilled lime oil contains the constituents shown in Table 10 (25). 

From West Indian lime oil, a trace low Foiling constituent, 1-methyl-1,3-(or 1,5 /74< 5 -3 7- -cyclohexadiene has been characterized (27). This compound, which possesses an intense and characteristic lime aroma, was later confirmed to be the 1,3-isomer [1489-56-1] (11). This compound can easily be made in a biomimetic way through the reaction of citral [5392-40-5] (3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadienal) with citric acid (28,29). 

Two varieties of limes are of importance in the commercial production of lime oils the West Indian (Mexican or Key) lime. Citrus aurantifolia (Christm.) Swingle and the Persian (Tahiti) lime, C. latifolia Tanaka. The former has small fruits with many seeds, and the latter bears larger, seedless fruits. West Indian limes are grown primarily in Mexico, the West Indies, and Peru Persian limes are cultivated in Florida and Brazil. 

Persian lime oils contain lower concentrations of the typical sensorially important components than the West Indian lime oils and are thus comparatively mild and flat [395]. Consequently, West Indian lime oils are more popular. 

Pressed lime oils are obtained by rasping and puncturing as described on p. 185, so-called type B. Other methods are also employed for West Indian limes the whole fruits may be chopped and the separated oil-juice emulsion subsequently centrifuged, so-called type A [396], [397],... 

Annual worldwide production of distilled West Indian lime oil is nearly 10001. The oil is used primarily in soft drinks of cola-type. FCT 1974 (12) p.729 [8008-26-2]. 

Isoenzymes. Multiple forms of citrus PE were reported by Evans and McHale (AO) and Versteeg et al. (Al). PE was purified from West Indian limes and Navel oranges by fractionation of the whole fruit extracts with (NH. SO (AO-65%), adsorption and elution from Sephadex G-75 columns (AO). The PE active fractions were combined and concentrated before separation into two active PEs on the basis of their elution volume from a DEAE Sephadex A-50 column. Orange PEI (OPEI) and lime PEI (LPEI) had the same elution volume also OPEII and LPEII had the same elution volume. A higher concentration of NaCl was required at all pH values for optimum activity of OPEI and LPEI than of OPEII and LPEII. When the component parts of oranges were separately analyzed chromatographi-cally with DEAE-Sephadex A-50, OPEI was detected only in the peel, whereas OPEII was identified in juice sacs and section walls (AO). 

Limettin (5,7-Dimethoxycoumarin) is obtained from West Indian lime oil and various citrus oils. 

Citrus aurantifolia Swingle Key, Mexican or West Indian lime (small fruit with many seeds)... 

Synonyms Citrus aurantifolia Citrus aurantifolia oil Distilled lime oil Lime oil Lime oil, distilled West Indian lime oil... 

Hand-pressed West Indian limes oil is of considerably higher value than the distilled oil. Its characters are as follows —... 

The leaves of the West Indian lime tree yield an oil on distillation, which has the following characters —... 

OIL OF LEMON, desert ty pe, coldpressed see LEI025 OIL OF LEMONGRASS, WEST INDIAN see LEHOOO OIL OF LIME, distilled see OGM850 OIL OF LIME OIL, COLDPRESSED see OGM800... 

There are several varieties of 1., but only the above-mentioned species, the so-called sour or West Indian 1., is used for production of - essential oils. Sweet lime is rarely used and neither is the fhiit of Citrus limetta, the Italian variety of lime. The 1. originated in the Far East and Pacific Islands and is believed to have been brought to the West Indies after the discovery of America. Today, the 1. grows wild, semi-wild and cultivated in many tropical and semi-tropical areas. 

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